PAGE 6 CROOK COUNTY JOURNAL JULY 12, 1917 THE PASSING OF THE GREAT WEST Karly Reminiscences of the Slock Industry In Onlrnl n1 Kastern Orrgiin (By Ben Amis) There was once a time in this (treat livestock region when grating land was nobody's land, yet every body's land and that was not more than thirty years ago. Then the greater portion of Central Oregon, the livestock center, was all Wasco County, extending east from the crest of the Cascade Mountains to the Grant County line; south from the Columbia River to Lake County. It was then a vast sea of bunch grass, sage brush and covered every where with cattle, horses and sheep. It was very sparsely settled and every settler owned either sheep, horses or cattle. There was no end to bunch grass or limit to the range one controlled. It belonged to anybody and every body. "It was first come first served. The summer range belonged to the first stockman who could get to it. The forest ranges were then in a virgin state. All kinds f vegeta tion grew in tangled masses. Pea- Tine grew like alfalfa. There were i sunflowers so thick sheep were driven through them with difficulty. Wild roses grew in Jungles that no man could penetrate. Squirrel corn, or skunk cabbage, grew so high and thick that stock avoided going through It generally. All kinds of grasses grew so luxuriantly that it could have been easily cut with a mower. In the years 1884-5 sheep, horses J and cattle were ranging by the hun-j dreds of thousands in the Ochoco forest east of Prineville. Summit! Prairie was then a big meadow and j was a paradise for the stockmen, j Only a few homesteaders lived there, j Sheep from Grass Valley, Bake Oven, The Dalles, Gilliam County, Condon and many other points were ranged around Summit Prairie. So many sheep were taken to this sum mer range that in 1888 the ranges were practically devastated. The rose jungles disappeared for all time, and the other vegetation was soou cleaned out early In the season I t until It became quite a serious matter. In those days fences were few and far between. The sheepmen traveled as the crow flies. If they steered from a certain course, it was for water. There were no such things as dusty lanes In those days, nor a time schedule made by Vncle Sam to follow closely. Mutton buy ers rode out to the ranches, bought their mutton and then drove them overland In droves of five, ten or fifteen thousand to the nearest ship ping point, Ontario being a favorite place. Little hay was raised In a great many places, alfalfa was not gener ally cultivated and in some local ities not even heard of. Cattle and horses lived on the high bunch grass, but some of the hard winters killed them off like flies. In a mild winter they wintered through in good condition. Every spring the stockmen and their cowboys assembled to take an Inventory of their possessions. This was called the spring rodeo, and was tor the purpose mainly of marking and branding calves and looking after the general condition of the old stock. Such an outfit consisted of a camp wagon and cook, a cavar ango, or horse boy, who kept the saddle horses together, and the, cow punchers. In number from seven to twelve or more. These were gen uine cowboys, not your screen imi tation, but men who lived on horse back and in the saddle from year to year. No outlaw horse was too suorty for their mount, in fact their saddle horses were trained to be wild and glassy-eyed. If they did not buck on a frosty morning some thing was radically wrong. Usually if one outlaw bucked, they all buck ed, it was a general invitation for a rough house. It was common to see a dozen or more mustangs plunging madly and the bucarroos yelping like Piute Indians as they left camp tor the day's ride. A cowboy would cover anywhere from 50 to 90 miles in one of these dally rides but seldom would such a day's chore fatigue or subdue the wily broncho. The boys had to be care ful in unsaddling lest the outlaws should deal them a blow with their hind feet. The outlaw horse never could be broken. Usually they be come old and stiff from constant hard bucking which put them on the pension list for saddle horses. A pension consisted of life on the ranges without molestation. iit.jw !i I1 :i;i.:(M,ii.!fi..il!iir.;i:iiiiR ww iO1 1 1 1 1 At The Round-Up ... f The Ittiumlup The roundup was a great event tor the cattlemen and especially the cowboys. From a certain point the cattle were collet-ted for a few tluys until a large herd was gathered to gether. Each outfit had a foreman and each cattleman had his cowboys there to see that he got his iron on the right brute. The calf seen to nurse a certain cow was roped and branded and marked with the same Iron as its mother. ' Corrals were seldom used and could hardly be used if had. The saddle horn was the snubbing post in use in those days. The roping was marvelous. To catch a cow or calf, the noose was thrown in front of the animal which jumped through It like a cir cus dog Jumping through a hoop, but as the animal's hind feet were SPECIAL EDITION GALLEY 12 about to pass through the loop there was a quick jerk and at the same time another loop was tossed over the animals head. In five minutes the beast would be on the ground ready for the ironing process. The iron was a simple straight rod with a slightly bent end. With this in strument the cowboy could make any letter or other mark in vogue as a brand. It was light and could be carried on the saddle. A few days on a roundup sufficed to brand and mark alt cattle within a radius of ten or fifteen miles, then the opera-: tions were repeated in an adjoiuing vicinity. The "Slick Kitr" The "slick ear" belonged to the first man who could get his I Iron on It. Anything was a "slick ear" after It was weaned from Its mother. It huppened to be a culf that was overlooked In the roundup or else was not gathered In at all. So II was an animal without a murk or an owner and was public property. A hunter In quest of other game often bagged one ot these. Some times they grew to be two or three years old before being detected. They were quite common in the early cattle days In this country and evry winter many ot the settlers went gunning for"sllck ears" and In this way obtained meat for the winter. Beet was dirt cheap those days. A good big four-year-old steer could be bought for twenty five dollars and for less If prospects for a bad winter were In sight. But at that It was the golden days In Central Oregon for the stockmen. Many accumulated fortunes, retired and moved away and the cowboys have grown old now and many of them like their outlaw ponies are resting on the ranges of eternal peace. Itange ReKMTlel As a general rule each stockman In those days respected all others' ranges which they "claimed" as "theirs" because they were first on It, but it was respected Just as much as though it were deeded, The sheepmen made and agreed upon certain lines and they ranged their stock accordingly. Occasionally a luxy sheep herder would "full" asleep and allow his Dock to cross the dead line. Of course the sleep lug process would be only feigned. At any rate whenever the flocks trespassed over the line It was some such excuse offered. The cattlemen allowed their cattle to roam at will, having no herder. They would nat urally drift to the fores is In spring time and back again In the fall when they would be rounded up and some placed In enclosed pastures Thousands of acres of public land were fenced In many, places and here bunch grass would grow thrmi tent high, and made excellent winter pasture. Wild Home ami Cattle Horses were not only wild, but as wild as elk or any other wild animal. Horses wore not worth much thirty years ago, good sad dle pony could be bought from five dollars up. But they ran like wild year after year, some dying of old age without a brand or even ever being roped. They ran In herds and when they sighted a human be ing I hey snorted and were out of sight as quick as their fleet feet could carry (hem, and they were fleety and tough as Iron. It was a wiry' saddle horse Unit could keep in sight of them. It was a strenu ous Job to corral them as I bey would plunge headlong Into any obstruc tion to evade being turned fruiil a certain course. Many were citugtit and conquered and they were worth the effort for a good hardy driver or riding horse I lien was to his muster what tho auto toiluy la to Its owner. When once on one i t their bucks unit started for a ceriuln place you were sure to arrive theri without full, There were no blow outs, punctures or broken axles, cr oilier grief. Iluxlneu Warn Itlw Hollars uliiuiHt grew on trees lit the early days of the slin k IniliiHtry. They grew on the hills If not on trees, on (he shepa" bucks u ml on the cattle herein. U wits big busi ness for (he country tiierchnnt. Tim pntronuiie of a big cuttle or sheej man wus ulnuwl like a gold mine tos Hie country store keeper. Me (111 not buy In fifty cent packages or pound lots hut bought by whulexal-i and - retail, bringing along six or eight-horse freight mil din to lual buck his puri'hiiHcK, The fanner who cultlvnted th soli for a livelihood sold his buy t the stockmuu every year at gool prices. Consequently they also prospered us they only hail lo stm k tho hay and the sheepmen bought It and drove their flocks to II and fe.i it. The patronage of the stockmen was heavy and was good In all lines. There were no railroads ftud all their products were freighted or driven on hoof to The Italics. Much hay was In demand both In the country and In the towns which stimulated farm operations and good prices. The tight-wad was con spicuous for his absence It seemed. At any rate money was easy and plentiful and flowed In streams la the different channels. The cowpunchers never had uso for money and it burned their fin gers so they flung It to the breexe as soon as they struck town. They believed In free clrrulution of change and they did It freely, Sheep herders also scattered their dollars like wheat when they blew In. There was always plenty of work with stock, everybody hud money or could get It esstly, were happy, and business was good. That was tho lust of the Great West, absolutely. As the sun went down along In the lute nineties, so did the great west and the real big free range stock buslueas puss on. The Journal does first class Job printing at right prices. Hunt Commission Company Consign Your Stock to us and Receive Our Reliable Service Write or wire Us for Market Information UNION STOCK YARDS North Portland Oregon Russell B. Caswell Harry H. Cofoid Cattle SalcMts D. Leo Gholsoo Hog sail Skeep Sakmis Kid well & Caswell Livestock & Commission Merchants Write or Wire us for any inform ation regarding market conditions UNION STOCK YARDS North Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington