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FALLON COUNTY

O’Fallon Flashbacks

Copyright 1975 O'Fallon Historical Society, Baker, Montana. ALL RIGHTS RESEVED

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In the beginning Eastern Montana was part

of a huge inland sea. This picture of Moonlight Over the Baker Lake taken by Jim Anderson, the owner of the Fallon County Times, reminds one of a serene inland sea.

IN THE BEGINNING

Far, Far, Far back -taken from chapter 1 of Lorene E. Kirschten's

History of Fallon County- 1940- Fallon County Library

Far, far, far away, where it melted into naught but a misty veil, stretched the shimmering expanse of water. It lay, on this particular day, not mirror like in its utter quietness, but as a great burnished shield, covered with the tiniest ripples. In all directions save one, it stretched unbroken.

Over it leaned the illimitable blue of the sky, patterned lightly with filmy swatches of white clouds while the rays of the sun beat steadily down upon the polished surface of the water.

But there is life in the scene. The warm shallow sea is simply teeming with it. Millions upon millions of microscopic organisms, plant or animal. Who knows? Probably both. They fall to the sea bottom in never ending succession, like tiny snow flakes gently settling through the quiet water. Only the eye of Nature perceives the activity.

Suddenly a gale arises. There have been many gales and there will be more. Now the organisms sink thick and fast. Any disturbance sends them quickly to the bottom where they lie and wait and wait and wait for a long time.

"Hush, hush little organisms, don't you sigh.

You shall all be oil and gas, bye and bye.

In the far distant future, you'll come to light again

For you'll supply the needs and whims

Of countless hordes of men." L.E.K.

Then came the Age of Reptiles. This age lasted 140 billion years. The earth, the sea and skies were swarming with reptiles. The earth back in the far dim past was not as it is today. The climate was different. In most places it was tropical or sub-tropical, and was the same almost everywhere. There were no cold winters. If there had been, the reptiles could not have flourished.

In the Age of Reptiles the great mountain systems had not yet been born. The Himalayas, now the highest mountain range in the world, did not exist. There were no Rocky Mountains. Instead, the low lying country of western America and of central Europe held great inland seas. What is now the states of Kansas, Wyoming and Montana were covered with water. The land lifted at times and sank and rose again. One hundred and forty million years is a long, long time, and many changes took place.

The word dinosaur (die'-no-sawr) means "terrible lizard". This is a good description. Dinosaurs were reptiles. Cold-blooded animals related to crocodiles, snakes and lizards. At one time they ruled the entire world. Some were of gigantic size and others were smaller. Some flew through the air.

What I tell you about these unbelievable creatures is true. They really did live. We know they did because we find their bones buried in the earth. These bones have been fossilized or turned to stone.

When we talk about millions of years, it is difficult to get a real mind-picture of the vast length of time. Ape-like human beings did not exist until one million years ago. Man's own recorded history is hardly 7,000 years old. The time back to the Age of Reptiles is like the distance in miles separating us from the moon.

Cartoons and movies often show dinosaurs chasing terrified explorers through strange jungles of prehistoric plants. Of course this is all imagination. The dinosaurs lived 100 million years ago and no men were alive then.

Imagine the shore of a lagoon near the great inland sea of Montana. Then pretend it is 70 million years ago. It is a low-lying country broken by thick clumps of ginko and sycamore trees. There are many figs, palms and bananas, too. The day is hot. Banks of mist hang over the water. Suddenly the dim outline of Tyrannosarus (Tie-ran'-O-sawr'-us) looms among the trees of the forest's edge. The ugly head towers among the highest branches. The tail stretches backward and is lost in the smothering vegetation. Tyrannosaurus Rex was the greatest of all the flesh-eating dinosaurs. The name comes from Tyranno (tyrant) sauros (lizard) rex (king). This means "King of the tyrant lizards". The short forelimbs seem tiny but the clawed hands have a grip of iron. Nothing about Tyrannosaurus is weak. He is the most terrible creature of destruction that ever walked the earth.

Thanks to Dr. Barnum Brown of the American Museum of Natural History, we know much about this terrible creature and his habits. In 1900 Dr. Brown found part of a skeleton in South Dakota. More bones of a different creature were unearthed two years later on Hell Creek in Montana. That was when Montana was still the "Wild West". Ten miles from the little sod post office of Jordan, Montana, Dr. Brown entered the bad lands. He made camp on Hell Creek. There, half way up a hill, in the layer of buff-colored sand, he found a complete skeleton of Tyrannosaurus. In 1908 Dr. Brown found another skeleton in these same Montana Bad Lands. All the skeletons stand among the most prized exhibits in the American Museum. Every year millions of people gaze at the petrified bones of the King of Tyrants.

The Museum at Ekalaka, Montana, has a wonderful display of Dinosaurs.

Old Mother Nature sat upon a shady hill,

Watching old Triceratops wriggle his fine frill,

Watching Stegosarus polish up his plates,

While the great sun traveled toward the Western Gates.

Along came Tyrannosaurus and switched his mighty tail,

Wagged it slowly round about, stirring up a gale.

Tracholon came leaping up, snapping with his bill.

But when he saw Old Rex was there, he skipped behind a hill.

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"Children," Mother Nature said, "Something seems to say,

In my deep old mother's heart, that there will come a day,

When things will all be changed around; then I shall start to stew,

For then that Something tells me that you'll all be lost to view. "

This wise "Old Dame" was partly right, and partly in the wrong,

Her mighty children buried were, for ages long, long ago.

But now, unearthed, mounted, restored, in museums there and here,

We may stand and gaze and marvel, all without one trace of fear.

(Poem by Lorene E. Kirschten in her book "History of Fallon County.)

Editor's Note-much

of the material on the "Age of Reptiles" was gleaned from the book, "All About Dinosaurs" by Roy Chapman Andrews.

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Signs of the Plains

Tepee Rings or Prayer Rings, as some authorities subscribe to, on a plateau across a valley just south

of the Medicine Rocks. People in the picture are [left to right]: John Karch, Jr., Mrs. John Karch, Jr. and Leonard Haskell, a former teacher at Baker. picture by Glen Moore

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Chapter IV of the book "History of Fallon County"

Written

in 1940 by Lorene E. Kirschten

Signs of the plains. Signs of what? Signs that creatures other than mere animals had passed that way. In the grasses, on the hill-tops, among the rocks, in dry washes and on exposed surfaces, in fact almost anywhere, one may find spear points and arrow heads of different sizes, shapes and materials. One may find war clubs, hammers of stone, scrapers and small morters.

Some of these are on the surface and some are dug out of crevices or caves, and others are often turned up by farm machinery.

Then there are the pottery remains. Some of these have been found among the Medicine Rocks and in other places, though they are not plentiful. Any Indians found living here after the coming of the white man did not make pottery. They preferred to dig a pit and line it with a heavy buffalo hide filled with water and hot rocks. They also carried the meat and water in skin bags, so it is believed that the pottery must have been made by people of a much more ancient race.

Inscriptions have also been found on cliffs and on cave walls. Some of the earliest pioneers tell of inscriptions being seen on the Medicine Rocks. They were of Indian origin and no longer visible. [Editor's Note-in our story of Medicine Rocks is a picture of carvings and pictures taken since 1940.1

Many people have seen the patterns of rocks found in and around the country. They are not haphazard ' formations but

have been laid in rings, squares and wedges and other designs, which indicate some definite purpose behind their placing.

In many places on the plains have been found the remains of "piskuns," or buffalo drives.

There is an old legend among the Plains Tribes that once, way back in the dim past, the Indians were very hungry. They had secured no meat for many days. One night a very little old, old woman had a vision. She dreamed that an animal friend of hers, to whom she had been kind, appeared to her and instructed her how to arrange a "piskun" or buffalo drive. In the morning she reported her dream to the men of the camp. Since the Indians believed in dreams, the instructions were immediately carried out.

They located a steep declivity, secured large boulders and arranged them in two walls, which ended at the edge of the cliff. Having completed this work, they located a buffalo herd and started it toward the cliff. Many of the buffalo were forced between the rock walls and on over the cliff where they piled up at the bottom. The tribe was saved from starvation and Indians continued, for no one knows how long, to use this method of hunting buffalo.

It seems that no one is certain of having located a "piskun" in Fallon County, but over near the Dakota line near the south end of the Bad Lands area, there was in early days a location which suggests such a place where a drive might have taken place. This location was discovered a number of years ago in the East Fertile Prairie section some distance north of Highway 12. A great expanse of grassy upland, occupying a ridge between two valleys, slopes toward the south, ending in a half-mile stretch of cutbanks and steep slopes. On the floor of the valley, a short distance from the base of the high cutbank, there stood an isolated column of shale of a roughly circular form. It was probably 17 or 18 feet in diameter and rose to a height of perhaps 20 feet. It was quite level on top, and was capped by a layer of dark soil and native sod, about 18 inches thick. The strangest thing about it was, that under the layer of sod was a compact mass of bones, packed into a layer of a foot or more thickness. The bones were not fossilized. They were just a layer of tightly packed whitened bones, dozens of them. The bone layer had apparently prevented the soft shale from weathering down to the level of the surrounding valley floor, and so this lone column, with its gruesome reminder of some old mass tragedy, remained. It seems the bones could not have been those of range stock that had drifted over the bank in a blizzard, because it is impossible for a column of that height to have been eroded out since the days of the cattle ranching. It is now thought it was, most likely, the remainder of a buffalo drive by some ancient tribe of Indians.

No doubt some of you have seen the rings or wedges of large boulders lying on the prairie. These are the remains of buffalo pounds. The natives would place these boulders in a favorable location, then they would run the herd of buffalo into the enclosure. The animals would stumble over the stones and pile up on each other. Then the hunters, who had been hidden nearby, would rush out and dispatch the clumsy beasts. Several of these pounds have been found in Fallon County. Some of the stones are now partly buried in the soil of the plains. Some people have seen the rocks laid out in squares. No one knows their purpose, but it seems likely that they served the same purpose.

Northeast of Baker, in the eastern fringe of the Bad Lands, may be seen an ancient tribal trail. It begins in the grass land near the western base of a stony ridge, runs up to the top of the ridge where it widens and merges into a design of many rocks on the summit.-It then continues down the southeastern slope where it is lost in the rough surface of the valley. The trail is well marked and at the summit may be seen several rings of stones. It was formerly believed, by some, that the Indians never used stones to moor their tepees to the ground, and furthermore, some of the rings intersected, which tepee rings would never do. The Indians laid out their camps in a definite manner, and they never built a camp on top of a ridge.

At first glance, it seems strange to us that they should have labored to build a trail over a steep ridge when they could have built it more easily on low ground. The most sensible explanation lies in the belief that it is the site of some religious ceremonies. Stones were always used for the construction of sites for ceremonial rites and many examples of these sites have been found scattered over the plains.

No one will ever know just what people placed the stones, nor how long ago they lived, but it is interesting to think of the dusky-skinned natives, toiling in the heat of day or the cool of the evening, preparing what may have been a site for some sacred ritual.

It is not difficult to envision the lightening of 'the morning sky, and the stirring of the camp. Men, women and children emerge silently from the lodges and move in a slow and solemn procession up the steep trail to the summit of the hill. They wait silently, until the first rays of the sun spill over the horizon. It gilds the hilltop, where they wait, with a dusky golden light. Watch them, in fancy, as all hands are raised toward heaven and the bodies sway rhythmically and gently as from each savage throat issues a weird chant.

Rise, arise, arise,

The sun is come!

Mighty spirit, ever helpful,

Aid thy children, save thy people

We greet the dawn

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Hear our voices.

Every heart responds

To the music of the sunrise

We hail the mom

Rise, arise, arise,

Rise, arise, arise

Now the last long, drawn, minor tones die into silence as the sun rises warmly in full view. The people turn silently and process back down the trail to their lodges and go about their daily living.

Chapter V-EARLY HUMAN INHABITANTS OF THE PLAINS

It is dark and still-very dark and very still. A black serrated semi-circle stands outlined against the silver-spangled backdrop of the chill autumn sky. The air fairly crackles with frostiness. Little patches of brittle snow lie thinly nestled in low spots. Every now and again the long drawn baying of a gray wolf trembles through the quiet air. Now the serrated line turns from black to gray, the dark curtain lightens, the star spangles vanish and presently hues of amethyst, maize and rose tint the east. A series of sharp crackles are heard as a paint pony shifts from one restless hoof to another, and a skinny dog shadow ranges stealthily along the base of the semi-circle. Now, thin spirals of blue smoke ascend lightly upward from the points of the circle and waft lazily away. There is a stir along the line, and enough light has come to show a semi-circle of skin tepees from which the smoke ascends. Scrawny dogs and spotted ponies are about. The remains of camp fires, bones, poles, and the skinned carcasses of three buffalo are there.

The sun's first rays touch the tips of a high ridge of hills to the east, coloring them to a delicate shimmering pink. They cast a long line of blue shadow over the camp. Three miles on down the almost perceptible slope, lying between the ridges and the floor of the valley, is a small stream. It can easily be traced, running off to the northwest, by the narrow twisting line of leafless trees which fringe the bank. The slope is clothed by a heavy growth of deep grasses that are interspersed by clumps of sage brush and flowers that have gone to seed. Everything in sight is decorated, on this morning, by a layer of pearly hoar-frost.

The blue shadow of the hills falls back step by step, and at length the sun's long rays burst over the ridge. A flood of golden light pours out over the plains creating a scene of dazzling beauty. Over the landscape lies a trembling robe of frosty brilliance, gathering intensity as the sun mounts higher in the sky. Every object is heavily bejeweled. The long glittering snake of a stream winds away to the rosy skyline.

The camp is now alive with activity. Winter is at hand and the Red Men must seek a more sheltered spot. Down in a curve of the little stream is just such a spot.

After an incredibly hasty meal and hastier preparations, the Indians make their way down the slope, leaving a few squaws to cut up and transport the partially frozen buffalo carcasses, which had been skinned the evening before. It is doubtful that they took any notice of the beautiful scene. They were only intent on reaching a place of safety and shelter before white winter came down over the plains.

No one knows just when the first human beings came to Montana. There is a story of a very ancient trail running along the eastern foot of the mountains, the whole length of the continent, and it is learned that the earliest known mountain inhabitants differed in both culture and physical characteristics from the plains people.

It is thought that the plains tribes were descendants of eastern tribes who migrated from their original grounds into the west. There was nothing in common between the tribes of the two sections until after the horse came into the possession of the Indian in the 18th Century. While remains of a primitive horse have been found in the west, in a fossilized state, none of them lived to develop into the horse of this continent. The horses which the Indians possessed, when first seen by the white man, were descendants of those brought in by the Spanish Explorers. Some of them were left. They increased into herds and spread northward over the High Plains area. The Indians were not slow to see their value and lost no time in domesticating them. The horse made a great difference in the life of the Plains Indian.

The Cheyennes claim to have been the first to possess these wonderful creatures, and so do the Sioux. They called them "espheta," meaning "something to hunt with," and "medicine dog." These names seem to indicate that they were very definitely connecting the horse with the hunt.

The Crows were a split-off from the Hidatsa group who occupied the territory in the lower Missouri River Valley, and who migrated west long before the white men arrived on the plains.

The Cheyennes migrated to the plains regions from the upper reaches of the Mississippi River.

The Sioux crowded into the west from Minnesota and the Eastern Dakotas. These two later tribes were warlike and caused most of the trouble between the Red Men and the Whit Men in our section of the state. The Crows were a more peaceful tribe.

There is an old Indian legend about a remnant of an ancient tribe being driven to the flat top of a steep sided butte in Carter County, by an enemy band. The legend relates that the entire band was held prisoner on the top of the butte until they all died. This butte is one of the group known as the Chalk Buttes and is called Starvation Butte to this day. Old timers say that numerous human bones were to be found there in early times but few are to be seen now.

There were sheltered places in the Bad Lands and along the streams where a winter camp could be made, and where the braves could loll at ease and smoke and tell stories, while the squaws made pemmican, tanned hides and made garments, between times training the papooses to be honest-to-goodness American natives.

While we see few real Indians in our country now-a-days, there are quite a few Fallon County residents who can boast of some Indian ancestry. The Indian possessed many admirable characteristics, some of which the white race could use more of.. The Indian was greatly changed by his contacts with the white man, and sad to say, these changes were not always for the better. In fact, to use the words of an old song, the Indians might well sing "You Made Me What I Am Today and I Hope You're Satisfied."

The glorious haven of the Red Man passed with the passing of the buffalo, and with the coming of the White Man, but his history and traditions will ever remain.

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TEPEE RINGS

by Walter Ed Taylor

Taken from the Fallon County Times -May 27, 1936

One of the mysteries of Montana history, ancient and modern, is the tepee rings which are so plentiful in the state. The tepee rings-rings of large stones, and usually found in groups of ten or more, have always been something of an enigma to students of Indian Lore.

The most popular answer to the riddle is that they were used by the Indians to hold the base of each tepee securely in place, and when a camp was moved the rings of stone were left in place. The wisest men of the Crow tribe of Indians declare that their people know nothing about the origin of the tepee rings and that the rings were put in place by a mysterious tribe of "little people" who inhabited the Rocky Mountain region many, many moons ago. They say the tepee rings were left by the same race who left the picture writings in Montana.

In many cases the groups of tepee rings are found on high bluffs or on hilltops. This is explained by some authorities by the theory that the Indians placed their summer camps on such high points during the summer when the mosquitoes and other insect pests were bothersome. Other scoff at such an explanation and speak of the tepee rings as "prayer stones," with a religious significance. Frank Bird Linderman, noted Montana authority on Indian Lore, is one of those who subscribes to the theory that the tepee rings might have had a connection with some ancient Indian religion. The one point upon which all who have studied the rings do agree is that they were put in place by an ancient tribe which was probably not in any way related to the Indians of the present day.

Early man's inscriptions on rocks at the south edge of the Medicine Rocks.

-7

MEDICINE ROCKS STATE PARK

Taken from a paper written by Yvonne Mrnak, Gebhardt

on file at the Baker Public Library

Medicine Rocks State Park is located about twenty-five miles south of Baker, Montana on Highway 7 or twelve miles north of Ekalaka on the same highway. Many people visit the park both summer and winter, but because it is off the regular tourist route, most of the people are local. On the Fourth of July and at many other times the park is full of people picnicking and camping.

These rocks, made of sandstone, were made from deposits of a floodplain about 70,000,000 years ago. Ages before the building of the pyramids, nature's fingers -the rains, the winds, the freezing and the thawing carved the mute and interesting monuments of their handywork. This erosion kept wearing down the rocks, and this, plus what might be called "human erosion" caused by the carving of thousands of dates, initials and names in the soft formations, has worn the rock worse than ever. Among these was "Teddy" Roosevelt's name, which, it is said, was visible as recently as 1910.

Many fossils are found around the Medicine Rocks, as they were under water long, long ago. These fossils are very small in size, so to find them you must go to a certain place and sift the sand. Sharks teeth and other bones about an eight of an inch long have been found there.

The Medicine Rocks got their name from the fact that many Indians came there to "pow-wow." Sitting Bull "pow-wowed" here. Many Indians came on hunting parties from the Dakotas and east central Montana. Here they performed their ancient rites and rituals. They also carved inscriptions and painted pictures on the rocks, but with the white men coming and carving their names and such on the rocks. There aren't many signs of the Indians left.

The Indians often camped around the rocks and many tepee rings are lying on a mesa a few miles south of the rocks. These rings are now imbedded in the earth and no one seems to know how long they have been there. This mesa, that the tepee rings are on, extends for about a quarter of a mile east and west and there is a good fresh water spring at the base of it. Many Indians must have camped here because the mesa is covered with rings.

One interesting fact about the Medicine Rocks is that the Indians gathered here to go meet General George A. Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. I thought this was especially interesting that the Indians would pick a place like this that later became a State Park, and it is also interesting to observe that about the time the Indians were gathering at the Rocks, General Custer and his Seventh Cavalry was marching across the northern part of Fallon County on the way to the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Contrary to popular belief the Medicine Rocks State Park is not a badlands area. Badlands are areas of mature erosion in formations that are very fine, loose, consolidated sand and are predominantly clay. The Rocks are a much firmer sandstone, but highly subject to wind and water erosion.

One of the weird Rock Formations in the Medicine Rocks State Park Picture by Carol Karch

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Some of the weird formations have been caused by the wind. The wind would start to blow and cause a minute depression in the rock. After many years this depression would form a hollow and so keep wearing down until a hole clear through the whole rock was formed. A few of these are now large enough to crawl through and some of them are big enough to be called a type of cave with two doors.

This place of weirdly eroded sandstone which looks like molten silver in the moonlight, with the crannies in the rocks appearing dark gray against the light and very black against the silver, is very pretty to see. In fact, Theodore Roosevelt called the Medicine Rocks "fantastically beautiful" and he should have known for he lived not far away at Medora, North Dakota and used to camp overnight in them when he was herding cattle.

The shapes of these rocks are many. Once there was a rock called "the camel," but it was worn too thin in one place and so it crumbled and fell. Other rocks are shaped like needles, tents, horses, and castles. All it takes is a little imagination and one can dream up anything from the size of an ant to the size of an elephant. The Rocks also come in a variety of heights. They range from one foot to a hundred feet high. Some people would not think the Rocks very pretty, being the color of beige sandstone that they are, but they have a beauty all their own.

Sheepherders Rock at the Medicine Rocks State Park. It is possible to start in a cave and go inside and up and out until the top is reached, notice the erosion caused by the elements, swallows nest in the holes.

There is also a place called the " sandpile" which is a favorite with people of all ages, but especially with smaller children. It is a huge hill of pure sand where one can roll in the sand or walk in one's bare feet or just sit and sift it through the fingers.

There are a few smaller rocks on which one can trust a five year old child to climb, so people of all ages have enjoyed the Medicine Rocks through the years.

It was back in 1956 and 1957 that the public spirited citizens of Carter County decided that the Medicine Rocks should be set aside as a state park. At that time the land belonged to Carter County and was under the administration of the Carter County Commissioners. When the public announced that it wanted the state park, the commissioners were willing to transfer the land to the State Parks Division, which was under the State Highway Commission at that time. When the subject was brought to the Highway Commission it accepted immediately. The deed was officially transferred on April 3, 1957 to the state, and the Medicine Rocks became known officially as the Medicine Rocks State Park. There are 320 acres in the park and it is equipped with tables, water and fireplaces.

Many of the people who visit the park have been there before. One can go there many times and walk all over the park and each time he will see something different. He will come back for more. The children and some of the spryer adults climb the rocks, but only the braver ones try to climb up Castle Rock. It stands between eighty and a hundred feet high and goes almost straight up. There are small footholds to use, but as they aren't very big and are quite far apart, it takes lots and lots of courage to climb to the top. For those who don't have that much courage there are smaller rocks with flat tops ranging from twenty-five to two-hundred feet across.

There are no swings, slides or merry-go-rounds in the park. I guess the Park Service thought that the rocks themselves would serve as entertainment for children, and to my opinion they do. One can really relax under a fragrant pine tree and let the gentle breeze blow over him. He must watch himself or he will drop off to sleep.

-9

The Livestock Industry

Hereford cattle on the L. Price Ranch on Little Beaver Creek, 1939, received by Gib Zeidler, County Agent, from the Northern Pacific Railroad

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The Livestock Industry

Hereford cattle on the L. Price Ranch on Little Beaver Creek, 1939, received by Gib Zeidler, County Agent, from the Northem Pacific Railroad

FALLON COUNTY LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY

by Clarence Myhre - 1940

The livestock industry of Fallon County has in sixty years passed through three different stages and if the opinion of pioneer stockmen is correct, the industry is about to begin the fourth stage.

Up until 1880 the vast plains of eastern Montana and the western Dakotas had belonged to the buffalo. 2,650 of these animals were killed by Mr. David Harrison Russell and his partner Isaac Downing as late as 1881 and 1882, but these were only a remnant of the vast herds that once roamed the plains. In a few years they were all gone, and large herds of cattle from Texas were taking their place on the range. Cattle had been coming north from Texas to Colorado and Wyoming for some years, and it had been found that they would make better beef on the northern range and bring a better price on the market.

Texas cattle could be bought cheap and by taking them north to run on the northern ranges for a season or two, they would bring their owners a good profit. These cattle were all adapted to the range and needed very little care. They would run on the range winter and summer and did the best when left to themselves, so they were never bothered except at roundup time.

The cattle bought in Texas were at first trailed through to the northern range. The time required to take a herd through was about two or three months. It took a crew of eight or nine men to herd 2,500 to 3,000 head of cattle, which was about the size of the herd that could be taken by one crew. Larger herds made it too difficult to find water and grazing. The trail crew usually consisted of a wagon boss, a cook, a horse wrangler and the remainder to drive the cattle. Two riders rode at the point of the herd and were called pointers. A couple of riders would ride the flanks and one or two would follow the herd behind. The herd was well strung out and not in a compact bunch. The route taken from Texas or New Mexico, whichever place the cattle were bought, was east of the continental divide somewhat east of Denver, Colorado, Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Buffalo, Wyoming, and then on to Sheridan, Wyoming. This was one route. At other times they were driven north to Dodge City, Kansas and then to Ogallalla, Nebraska. Ogallalla was the receiving point for northern cattle. Later they were shipped by rail part of the way. When these cattle came by rail they would leave Texas on the Colorado Southern to Denver and from Denver to Cheyenne. There they would be taken on the Union Pacific and from there they were taken over the Cheyenne Northern to Moorcroft, Wyoming, another receiving point for northern cattle. These cattle were not Texas Longhorns. There would be a few in a herd, but most of the cattle were Herefords or Durhams.

The 1880's and 1890's were the years when cattle were run on a large scale. The years that made cattle kings. Ranches were far apart and their operations covered large areas. Many of these cattle "outfits" had 30,000 head of cattle running over a range as large as some of our eastern states.

In what is now Fallon County there was at that time only one large "outfit" that had its headquarters here. That was the Standard Cattle Company whose headquarters was on the Little Beaver Creek, seventeen miles south and east of Baker, Montana. The Standard Cattle Company had been running cattle around Moorcroft, Wyoming and Belle Fourche, South Dakota before coming here. Mr. John Porter trailed the first herd from Belle Fourche to the Little Beaver Creek in 1888, and he became the first foreman of the new ranch. The ranch, at its peak, had 20,000 head of cattle on the range, branded 101 which was the brand of the Standard Cattle Company.

Hash Knife Ranch as it looked in 1920, given to the museum by Sarah Kerr who's father was a Hash Knife cowboy in 1880.

The other large ranches formed a circle around the 101. To the south was the Mill Iron and the Hashknife ranches. These ranches had been here a little longer than the 101. To the east and south in South Dakota was the L S Ranch, owned by Mr. Edward Lemmon. In North Dakota and where the city of Marmarth is now located was the OX ranch owned by Towers and Gudgell. The OX had about 25,000 head of cattle on the range. They would sometimes brand as many as 5,000 head of calves in the spring of the year.

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0 X Ranch at Marmarth, 1920, given to the Museum by Sara Kerr.

To the north and near Medora, North Dakota were the Maltese Cross and the Elk Horn ranches owned by Mr. Theodore Roosevelt. West of the Roosevelt holdings and close to the Montana line was the 777 Ranch. This ranch was located on Cannon Ball Creek. The 777 Ranch was probably the largest ranch in this territory. They had 30,000 to 40,000 head of cattle on the range. The foreman of the 777 Ranch was Mr. William Jones, who is still living in Medora. At Wibaux, Montana, Mr. Pierre Wibaux had a ranch. His brand was W bar. The cattle from these "outfits" would range from the Powder River on the west to the Missouri River in the Dakotas. These were all southern cattle either trailed up from Texas or New Mexico, or trailed in from Wyoming or South Dakota. If trailed from Wyoming or South Dakota they were still southern cattle, because some of the large cattle companies had ranches in these states. These cattle were mostly two year olds when brought here. They would be left on the range for a couple of years and then shipped to market. As soon as one herd was shipped another herd was trailed in to take its place. The cattle trailed in here were mostly steers and spayed heifers, called dry stock. Not many of these "outfits" raised their own calves. The winters were, as a rule, hard and there was too much chance of a big loss with calves on the range. Profits could be realized much quicker on two-year-olds from Texas. These cattle were hardy and well adapted to the range. They could stand the winter out on the open range and needed little care. No hay was put up, as it would be nearly impossible to put up feed for such large herds.

There being so many cattle scattered over such a large territory, some system was needed to handle the general roundup. The cattlemen would meet in Miles City in the spring and decide how the roundup was to be run. A method would be decided on so the range would be thoroughly covered, and so that each "outfit" would do its share of work on the roundup. The roundup would start as far east as the Missouri River. Two or three of the wagon crews would be assigned to the territory south of the White River. A couple more wagons would take the territory between the White River and the Bad River. The land between the Bad River and the Cheyenne River would be covered by someone else. From the Cheyenne River north to the Moreau River would be someone else’s territory. From the Moreau River north to the Grand River the territory would be divided up so that it would be thoroughly covered by different "outfits" taking part in the roundup. Sometimes there would be several wagons in each of these territories. Each wagon had a wagon boss, a cook, a horse wrangler and six or seven riders. The cattle gathered each day would be bunched and the stock belonging on this particular range was cut out and turned back on the range. With each of these "outfits" there would be a "throw back" wagon, that is a wagon and crew which would take the cattle found on the roundup ahead of the general roundup. These would be cattle that belonged farther west. The roundup south of Cheyenne River would end at Lake Flat on the Bad River. All the different crews would meet there with the cattle gathered on the roundup. There would sometimes be 90,000 cattle at Lake Flat. Here the cattle with different brands would be cut out and taken back to their home range, some to eastern Montana and some to North Dakota and Wyoming. The next spring the Stockmen's Association would again plan the general roundup and the same thing would be done over again.

After the cattle were brought back on the home range from the general roundup, they were left to themselves until the beef roundup which started about the first of September. This roundup went through almost the same procedure as the general roundup only it did not cover as large a territory. All the beef found on the range, fit for market, would be cut out and trailed to the nearest railroad where it was shipped. All the beef fit to ship was shipped, regardless of whose brand it carried. After they got to market there would be stock inspectors there to decide to whom the different cattle belonged, and would see that the owners got their money. The stock inspectors were hired by the Stock Association.

The large cattle companies operated here from early 1880 until 1905, when most of them sold out. Smaller ranches were becoming numerous and making it difficult for large "outfits" to operate. These twenty-five years were the first stage of the cattle industry in eastern Montana. The years of large scale operations, when hundreds of thousands of cattle were on the range. The years when fortunes were made in livestock.

The large cattle "outfits" quit around the year of 1905 because the small ranchers were becoming too numerous. Most of the small ranchers had gotten their start by working for these large cattle companies, saving their earnings and buying a few head of stock whenever they could. Most of the small ranchers had worked for these large "outfits" for several years and in that way gained considerable experience in livestock. They continued to handle about the same type of cattle only on a smaller scale. Those who started before the land was surveyed, squatted on the land they wanted for their own headquarters. When the large "outfits" were here no hay had been put up for winter feeding. The small ranchers now started to put up hay for winter feeding.

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The herds were smaller, making it possible for them to do so. These small ranchers also started raising their own calves, instead of trailing all the cattle from the south.

Mr. E. A. Mulkey became owner of the 101 Ranch when the Standard Cattle Company sold out. Mr. Mulkey continued operating with the same brand and had about 3,000 cattle. He had worked for the Standard Cattle Company for several years, saved his money and in that way was able to start a ranch for himself. He continued as a stockman until his death in 1937. He had about 600 head of cattle when the depression came and was forced to sell most of them.

Another Fallon County rancher who had worked for several years for the Standard Cattle Company, started a ranch of his own on Hay Creek on the southern line of Fallon County. Mr. Robert Yokley trailed a herd of cattle here from Sundance, Wyoming, in 1890. These cattle were for the Standard Cattle Company. He worked for this company several years as a trail driver and rider. He took Squatter's Rights in 1890 but continued to work for the cattle company. Mr. Yokley bought his first 100 head of cattle for fifteen dollars a head and the calves thrown in. His first brand was Nine H . He later changed it to

HR . At the peak of his operation, Mr. Yokley had 500 head of cattle, mostly herefords. In 1897 he bought 100 head of white faced cattle from Sam Johnson near Ekalaka, Montana. He has changed from cattle to sheep and from sheep to cattle several times. He still lives on his ranch, although most of the ranching business is carried on by his son Robert Yokley, Jr.

Mr. Charles Clark, like so many of the other ranchers, worked for the large companies until he had money and experience enough of his own, to start for himself. Mr. Clark is a real pioneer in the cattle business. He has been in the west since 1880. He trailed a herd of 2,500 cattle from Lincoln, New Mexico to the OZ Ranch in 1880. This ranch was owned by John Conrad. There was only one log house in Sheridan, Wyoming at that time. It took Mr. Clark three months to bring this herd through. Mr. Clark took part in the roundup at Tongue River and Hang-Woman in 1881. In this roundup there were just as many buffalo as there were cattle. In 1883 he worked for the WI, owned by the Illinois-Montana Livestock Company. He also worked as a representative with the Hashknife and HS in 1884. He later worked for Mr. Curtis Newberry and his =- ranch. He started ranching for himself in 1890 at Chalk Buttes in what is now Carter County. He moved to Pennel Creek in Fallon County in 1893, and has owned this ranch since. On the ranch he had about 500 head of southern cattle. Mr. Clark used the brand

K N . Later on he became interested in sheep and at one time had 10,000 head. He also has a ranch in Jackson Hole in Wyoming, where he now spends most of the summers. During the big cattle days Mr. Clark was considered a "good beef man." A "good beef

man" was a man who could drive the cattle from range to railroad points without them becoming poor. If plenty of time was taken they would put on weight instead of losing it. He used to be shipping foreman for the Standard Cattle Company and shipped the first cattle for them out of Fallon County in 1891. He was also along when the first shipment of cattle was made out of Miles City in 1882. The Northern Pacific Railroad had reached Miles City around Christmas in 1881. In 1925 Mr. Clark took charge of a fox ranch in Wyoming and in 1936 he started his own fox ranch at Plevna, Montana. For a while it was profitable but prices for pelts went down and he quit the fox business. He is now retired, spends his winters here in Baker and his summers at his ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Mr. Clark is in the best of health and can tell many interesting things in regards to the early west.

Mr. Richard Morris was born at Denver, Colorado in 1872. His parents came to that state in 1863 and he has always lived in the west and is surely entitled to be called a pioneer. He left home at a very early age and started "punching cows" for J.W. Illif in Colorado in 1886. In 1889 he left Colorado and went to the Black Hills of South Dakota. He was here employed as a "Cowpuncher" by W..D. Rounds. He only worked for Mr. Rounds a short while, then he went to work for Mr. P. Duhamel who owned a ranch at Belle Fourche. Mr. Duhamel before starting the cattle business, had been a fur trapper for the Hudson Bay Fur Company. Mr. Duhamel had 7,000 head of cattle on the Cheyenne River range and hired Mr. Morris as foreman in 1890. Mr. Morris also worked for 777 trailing cattle for them from the Black Hills in 1892. He spent one summer with the OX ranch. In 1902 Mr. Duhamel started a ranch in Fallon County. 10,000 head of cattle were trailed here from Belle Fourche, South Dakota and Mr. Morris was appointed manager of the new ranch. Mr. Duhamel was about the last large cattle man to start ranching in Fallon County. His cattle were southern cattle which he had paid twenty dollars per head for in Texas. His brand was seven-lazy seven. Like most of the big "outfits" he quit ranching in Montana in 1905, and was supposed to have made a million dollars in the cattle business. Mr. Morris took part in many of the big roundups and owned what was considered the best "cow horse" on the range. He sold this horse to a Commission Firm in Omaha, Nebraska and it was still there in the yards in 1935. He started ranching for himself in 1906. His ranch is located ten miles north and east of Baker, Montana. His cattle were mixed hereford and he had at most times 500 head of these cattle. His brand was A lazy A /A. Mr. Morris now lives in Baker and is getting to be an old man but his memory is very good and he can still tell many interesting things about the early days.

Another interesting pioneer-rancher of Fallon County is Mr. Fred Hasty who like so many more worked first for some of the large cattle companies until he had a little capital to start for himself. He has worked as roundup rider with the CY ranch and also with the Mill Iron ranch. He started ranching for himself in 1899 on his ranch between Westmore and Ismay, Montana. Mr. Reuben Winchell was his partner. They had 700 mixed herefords on the range under their brand.

Mr. Hasty is also one of the first business men in the city of Baker. He owned the first restaurant here. At present he runs a nice farm five miles east of Baker and operates a dray line in Baker.

The Fulton ranch is located on the extreme west line of Fallon County. William Fulton arrived here in 1890 and was for some years employed by Mr. McKay a pioneer rancher in this vicinity. Mr. Fulton bought half interest in the McKay ranch in 1893 and the business was known as the McKay-Fulton Ranch. Before the settlers came the partners had mostly sheep and at one time they had several bands of sheep. Later on they started raising mostly herefords under the brands D2 and KO. In the last few years Mr. Fulton and Mr. McKay have dissolved partnership and Mr. Fulton took the east half and Mr. McKay took the west half of the ranch. Fulton is today the largest rancher in Fallon County.

Mr. Charles G. Vincelette pioneer rancher north of Baker, came here from Lead, South Dakota where he had worked in the mines. He bought the old MC ranch north of Baker that had been established by Frank Preston. Mr. Vincelette owned five sections of land and rented eleven sections. The first cattle were brought here from Deadwood, South Dakota. There were 825 head of them. At the peak of his business Mr. Vincelette had his brand V4 on 1400 head of herefords.

Mr. Nels Rasmussen came here in 1907 and established a ranch on Little Beaver Creek south east of Baker. At one time he had 1400 head of Hereford cattle branded U . He also had owned several bands of sheep at one time or other. There has always been considerable open range to the east of the ranch toward the Dakota line. This land is not suitable for farming and is used mostly for grazing purposes.

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The years of 1900 to 1910 were the second stage of the cattle industry in Fallon County. The large cattle companies had been leaving this range since 1900 and by 1905 they were all gone, and the small individual ranchers were taking their places. The large companies had owned no land, where the small ranchers either squatted the land until it was surveyed or homesteaded. They became permanent ranchers and later on they purchased considerable railroad land. They built up their ranches and became owners of considerable property besides their cattle. They put up feed for winter and experimented with several breeds of cattle. Many of them became sheep men. The general roundup with the large "outfits" covered large areas and took a lot of money, men and equipment. This small rancher could not afford to do, so they pooled their money, men and equipment for the general roundup. These cattle men had plenty of range up until 1910 when the settlers came in. In a few years most of the open range was gone.

The settlers which came from 1910 on were mostly interested in agriculture. They would take a homestead, build their homes and farm the land. They soon found out they could not depend on farming alone for an income, so many of them started small herds of cattle as a side line. In a few years some of them had as many as 100 head of mixed cattle, some milk stock and some beef cattle, but the majority of them would have around twenty head. There was very little open range and those who had cattle had to own their own range or rent it from someone else.

Most of the ranchers, who had been here since 1900, cut their herds way down and started farming as a side line. Mr. Fulton is today the largest cattle man in Fallon County. He runs 300 or 400 head of cattle on the Cabin Creek north of Plevna.

Mr. A. V. Stanhope has a ranch where he has 200 head of Hereford cattle. His brand is [ ] on the right hip. He had more cattle a few years ago, but the hard years had forced him to cut his herd down.

Mr. Lewellyn Price, a Hardware Merchant in Baker, Montana, owns a ranch on the Little Beaver Creek south and east of Baker. He purchased this ranch from E.T. Wells. It consists of about ten sections of land and to the east of the ranch is some open range. Mr. Price's brand is LEW. He has about 150 head of Hereford cattle and he says he could have most of his cattle registered if he wanted to. This ranch has some of the best hay land in the country.

Six miles to the south of Baker is the John Coldwell ranch. Mr. Coldwell came here in 1897 from Texas. He has been a sheep man most of the time and at one time had several thousand sheep. He is still in the sheep business today and runs 2500 head of sheep branded

Sheep shearing at Westmore, Montana, 1911, loaned by Bob Kinsey.

Two others, who owned at one time over a hundred head of cattle, were Mr. Charles Noftsker and Mr. Odin Myhre. Their farms are located south of Baker near the 101 ranch. Mr. Noftsker has some very very good hay land and has run as high as 150 head. His brand is S- 9 . Mr. Odin Myhre is the owner of the [ ] brand and had 150 head of cattle before the depression. Both these stockmen had to sell their cattle for a small price because there was no feed.

After several years of drought and sand storms there was some doubt as to whether the grass would come back. In 1938 and 1939 there was plenty of moisture, and the grass came back better than ever. It will be several years before the cattle industry gets a start again.

Editors Note-All the stockmen mentioned in this paper are dead now, but it is interesting to read about them. Livestock prices are pretty good in 1973. Most of the land owners are diversified - they do both farming and ranching.

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(brands on pages 15-20)

Fort Abraham Lincoln & Fort Keogh TraiI

Historical Marker nine miles north of Baker, Montana where Highway

Seven crosses the Old Fort Abraham Lincoln and Fort Keogh Trail, picture loaned by GuInare Lutts.

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FORT ABRAHAM LINCOLN-FORT KEOGH TRAIL [1877-19051]

All the marvelous beauty of Montana in June was there for the beholder in the year of 1876 but it was unheeded by the men, both white and red, who's hearts and minds were filled with greed, pomp, hate and frustration which erupted into an event which shook the nation, "Custer's Massacre".

In the turmoil which followed, Fort Keogh was established at the mouth of the Tongue River on the Yellowstone about two miles from a trading post called Milesburg, soon to be changed to Miles City.

With both military and civilian people on the move through the area a faster way of transporting mail, goods and passengers was needed, as traveling by riverboats was slow and hazardous and dependent on the amount of water in the river, which made it seasonal. So an overland route was laid out being marked by a line of mounds of earth with a cedar post set in the center to which a piece of canvas was attached. Stations were established with buildings, corrals, horses, supplies and attendants about every sixteen miles with sometimes emergency stations in between. The distance was about 300 miles from Fort Keogh to Fort Abraham Lincoln on the Missouri River. There the many trails converged, the building of the Northern Pacific Railroad was at a standstill, and riverboats had safe passage up from St. Louis.

On July 1, 1879 at 6:00 A.M. the first official mailcarrier left Fort Keogh. The vehicle was known as a buckboard, being four wheels with a flat-bed and a seat under which there was a place for the mail. It was drawn by four or six horses or mules, depending on the road conditions, driven at a gallop, Leaving Miles City the trail followed the Yellowstone River to the first station, "Canyon Springs", next "Powder River Station". Leaving the river and the Fort Buford Trail, the new trail went overland to "Branch Creek", now called "Whitney", then to "O'Fallon Station" near the present Ismay. About 16 miles further on was "Cabin Creek", later known as "Pennel", then "Burnt Station", came "Lake Station", where a dam had been built to have water available. This was section 13, 10, 60 west of the Elmer Wang farm. Crossing Beaver Creek the trail swung north and east into Dakota and Fort Lincoln. Near Yule at the Little Missouri River crossing drivers from the east and west met with a "Hail and Farewell". Through wind, sun, rain, hail or blizzard the stages rushed, at first once a week then two then three times a week. The first trips took 96 hours but the time was shortened to 73 hours and occasionally 60 hours. To prevent fire or snow blocks a guard area was burned off each fall, about 100 feet on each side of the trail. Due to weathering, the ruts often cut 12" to 15" deep so new paralleled tracks were made. There were many hardships besides the weather and loneliness. Indians were a constant threat and northeast of the present town of Plevna is a marker commemorating the death of a driver known as Fritz. A pageant was held in July 1924. The mail route was not discontinued when the Northern Pacific Railroad reached Miles City, but was used by local outfits in later years.

Highway 7 crosses the old trail just 9 miles north of Baker. The Fallon-Carter Home Demonstration Council has asked the highway department to put an historical marker there with this legend:

"Around these gumbo buttes and across these ridges and valleys, the old trail wound its way between Fort Lincoln on the Missouri River in Dakota Territory and Fort Keogh on the Yellowstone River in Montana. Pony Express, government mail stage, covered wagons, soldiers, people searching for homes, wealth, or adventure with horse, ox teams, and mules plunged and plodded along this undulating trail. In 1878, one freight train of 95 wagons, each drawn by four to six horses or mules, and each loaded with civilian goods of all kinds made up the largest train to make this trip. All were constantly watched and harassed by the Indians, whose lands and way of life were, by trick and treaty, being forever forced from them. With the building of the Northern Pacific Railroad, and also the fences by homesteaders, the trail was abandoned. A few grassy ruts may be seen on the ridge to the southwest."

Mrs. GuInare Lutts -Beaver Valley Club

Sources of Information-The Reverend Louis Pfaller, North Dakota Historical Society, Clyde McLemore, Montana Historical Society and Others.

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Dead Man's Butte

Dedication

of monument at Dead Man's Butte in Pleasant Valley northeast of Plevna, Montana, 1925. On the left is Senator George McCone and on the right is George McHoes, picture given to the museum by Ella Hitchcock.

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Deadman's Butte -program.

The History of Dead Man's Butte

northeast of Plevna, Montana

Written by

SENATOR C. C. CONSER

and

SENATOR GEORGE McCONE

WITH COMPLIMENTS OF THE

Fallon County Times, Baker, Mont.

Re-enacted by the

Pleasant Valley Community

Wednesday, July 16th, 1924.

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Many persons living in the vicinity of Plevna have had pointed out to them Dead Man's Butte and the grave which gives it Its name. The butte and grave are near the, southwest corner of the Dave Pieper homestead, one mile -east of the Custer trail farm, owned by George McHoes, and five miles northeast of the town of Plevna. The story of the tragic death of the stage driver whose body rests In the lonely grave, to told by Senator George McCone, of Dawson county, who was also an employee of the stagecoach company, and who found and buried the remains of the unfortunate man.

The only name by which the dead man can now be known, A "Fritz" the last name being now forgotten. Fritz was one of the drivers of the stage line which then connected Fort Lincoln across the river from the present site of Bismark in what Is now North Dakota, with Fort Keogh, near the present site of Miles City. The section of road covered by Fritz, extended from Pennell Station, near where the present road east of Dead Man's Butte crosses Pennell Creek, to the mouth of Powder River. Pennell Station was burned by the Indians some time later, and was afterwards alluded to as Burnt Station.

Fritz was a man of German -extraction, about 35 years of age, and Inclined to be careless of his personal appearance. He had come out from Minnesota to make a -stake, and after driving stage all summer had offered his resignation, to take effect Sept-A, 1880, with the idea of going back to Minnesota marrying, and settling down. He decided to stay an additional mouth, In the expectation of earning enough more to buy two more cows for his Minnesota farm.

It was In the latter part of September, 1880, that he started on the trip which ended in his death. It is said that he seemed to have some premonition of his approaching end. On the morning of the day of his death, he had gotten up early, and had gone to the top of the nearest hill, apparently looking for Indians. Minor, who held Pennell Station, afterwards said that he seemed very uneasy. Minor called him to breakfast, and after breakfast he asked Minor to cut his hair and trim his beard, something he had neglected for a long time. Minor did so, and also loaned him a razor, with which Fritz shaved himself. He also washed his shirt, and tidied himself up generally .

When the time came for him to start on his trip to the mouth of Powder River, he hitched up his team to the buckboard, and started on his last journey west. After crossing the creek, He stopped the team, and waved a farewell to the men left at the station, -and called "Goodbye, Minor'. He then turned and followed the stage road into the hills where he met his death.

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Soon after entering the hills, and Just out of sight of the station a party of eight Indiana bore down on him from the north. Fritz seems to have lost his head from fright, and although armed with a rifle, instead of turning his team, and attempting to return to Pennell Station, fighting off the Indians as he went, he jumped from the rig, allowing the horses to go as they pleased, and leaving the rifle In the buckboard. Chased by the Indians, he attempted to reach the rocks at the top of the hill, but was overtaken by the Indians between two small hills and killed. The Indians afterwards claimed that they had not intended -to kill him, and that he was killed by a chance shot, fired merely to scare him, but three bullet wounds found on the body disapprove this claim.

Bishop, who drove a stage on the same run as Fritz, came in the next day from Powder River, and reported that he had not passed Fritz on the, road as he should have done if all had been well. Sample immediately sent word to McCone, who, was the foreman of a hay crew that had been cutting hay for the stage company. and was then busy with his crew at Little Missouri, 45 miles from Pennell Station. McCone at once started to look Fritz up, taking with him Frank Emmett, one of the hay crew. McCone and Emmett followed the stage road to Fallon, and after dinner returned, watching the road carefully for any trace of the place where the buckboard had turned off. They failed to find any trace, but noticed a dark object which Emmett declared was a rock. Next day they started over the same route again, and on nearing the scene of the tragedy, McCone noticed the turkey buzzards hovering over the place where they had seen the dark object on the hill. Here they found the object of their search, badly bloated, and, decomposed, from ten days lying on the hillside, and with the flesh of the face torn by the buzzards.

McCone returned to Pennell Statian where he found a broken shovel and hoe, the only tools available. With these and blankets he returned to the place where the body of Fritz lay & Owing to the hardness of the soil, it was not possible to dig a grave deeper than a foot, but in this shallow grave the remains of poor Fritz were placed. The grave was, then covered with what stones could be found handy but two weeks later rock was hauled -by team to protect the body from the coyotes and wolves.

Senator McCone then took up the trail of the buckboard, and soon found where the Indians had overtaken the team, had taken the rifle, the horses and all of the harness, -except the hames and the dollars. The mail sack they had-cut open, cutting off the riveted ends, but taking with them the solid leather center. Among the mail was a corset, which was addressed to the daughter of the general Whistler, then stationed at Ft. Keogh. The Indians took the whalebone out of the corset, and with it constructed a small corral In -the soft earth of a pocket gopher’s diggings. Inside this little fence they dumped the letters from the pouch, after having opened most of the larger letters. Senator McCone gathered up the mail and forwarded it to its destination, himself taking the remains of the corset to

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Ft. Keogh, to the daughter of General Whistler, who, It is said, preserved the corset as a memorial of the event.

Sitting Bull's tribes were camped on the present site of the town of Poplar, where they were guarded, by Captain Reed, with four companies of soldiers. The Indians story of the tragedy came out later in a round about way. McCone had the contract for the stage line from Glendive to Ft. Buford. At Ft. Peck, now Poplar, there was a restaurant run by Jim McDonald, who had a Sioux squaw, Louise Long Dog. A brother of this squaw, Johnny Long Dog, was one of the party of eight who killed Fritz. Johnny Long Dog told his sister of the circumstances of the killing, at first claiming that he himself killed Fritz. The squaw, like others of her sex, being unable to keep a secret, told McDonald, and thus the facts became known.

Johnny Long Dog afterwards became war chief of the Sioux, and with his immediate family, and following, attended a Glendive fair. Among the other events including a balloon ascension, was an Indian parade, In which all the Indians, dressed in their bravest finery, participated. At the head of the parade, was Johnny Long Dog, accompanied by his two daughters on ponies.

Long Dog was acquainted with McCone, and insisted that the Senators two little daughters, should mount on behind his own, and take part in the parade.

It was Long Dog who made the claim in behalf of the Indians, that they had not intended to kill the stage driver, but fired merely to scare him. It may be true that they did not at first intend to kill him, but were carried away by a frenzy of excitement when the white man lost his head and jumped from the rig. The three bullet wounds found on the body could not all have been accidental.

The day of the Indian raid is past now, and the Ford chugs past the last resting place of the last victim of the red man. This sketch is, written so that the present resident, who has nothing to fear but drought, and grasshoppers, may have some notion of the time forty years ago, when the shadow of death hung over the hardy pioneers who were breaking a way that those who followed them might live in peace.

Pictures of Pageant of Dead Man’s Butte

loaned by Bruce Steelman

Local men who played the parts of Indians at the Dead Man's Butte Pageant in 1924. Left to right; Bill Hubbard, Merle Thompson, Bruce Steelman, Bill Geving, Tom Breen, Oakie James and Bill Ohlrich.

Dead Man's Butte Pageant, 1924

Bruce Steelman

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