D
THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: JULY 10, 1910.-
Wyoming, Banner Sheep State of Union; Land of Great Possibilities
a"-:-::i::j'NL n .... . ;: '
1 - mm-mm rr?&&
11 '"I U i' ' 13-' : '-- . - Jk.iiw lK.n,l. T. shi.nicn have Invited I ;.':'.'V-'-f ;, ' . ! I j . , -V f V ! . I I
If X ii ' lvV'' C;, , .- a thrlr ,,irlu. arnim In cuttle, liw-e., I i r,. V -y ' V ; -v, ' - P 1 I' I '
l , , t; .?,'V V-. W ,0... & H"', l,:k d ,.,viullf other enter-' I -',..'. W- 1 i A - ) IM '
mi ' ' "I'-? !.. ..- '..-v.-. s'-yrp j-ihc. thut .n womu be difficult to Cv-' "'W ..',. r-zZyJ- " r-. .,''' 1 V . , vi "' ''
IwV' ' C ''' - " V , ' C'-',:jVr ,M"R' a" terprln- that bus not benefited ' .,. J' .5 " ' 1- p- Jf I,1 j 1
lilt ' IVll-V V' '' V - f..T-"-' .:. l'i''Uy ' 'y the nheep btiHlneK. Instance could be If I'' ' fZi IL ?T' T' '7 .' ' ' .U'. ! I
lllv Xi ;X' V K ;V -...'C " ' - -' '-'M& cited a. sreat. length givlR of per- g PVv: - : t-. .T;.' -V T -f. j I
ll -i-y-r .Y. illg!1" " fifteen ,earK ago WUhot a cent who are f...lf ' X 'CI '' ' V " :' f J 5"r -i
P A tV'.--' t&WH? ' Tr 1 nS' l-.. TI.erc I. big money In the bunee, I , 'VH 'A t f H t 'l I '
S&, J V2&03 l"-6-" XU.W,.tyU. MlWy A large hooI wareh...,.e , built In , t . T- , ( V II
I te2ttrS5a?2S" All. V- rl W.I w.en of thla locality om year- a.. The v iU S- . . - . - "L-Wr -UT ' -ttTi'' - 1 fl
Vyl Z-- UCXW 1 've-T- building la :Wx4 feet In dimension, uii 7 r;-. . . ; ' r-' .r,;. ; A , . """IH
w
.YOMINQ cattlemen
baroiwt of the
haughty head above the lowly
aheiitnen for many years, while
i.f J'WyI aotnrro-btopped cowboy a
,"' ' maoe humble herdert dance.
Jlut out of tlme'i paradoxical evolution
there ha come a atiifting of poitlon the
tsheep la ahad of the rteer, the former master.
once proud laxt aixtein year has been uiarvoloiie and
range, hola If all weie told would n ad llUu u fairy
tale,
AVyomhifi wiMil will Continue upward In
pilee. The consumption In the t'niled
Ktalt'H each year la rioO.uiKI.OOO pnundK. Kor
thla reason there Is an era of altnoxt un
broken 'prosperity, for Wyonilng flock-
vatlle baron la now A sheep raiser him-
elf and the picturesque cowboy haa ex
changed lariat for ehepherd'a crook.
The phsviomenal gains of the sheep in
dustry In Wyoming must not be construed
central portion
well feel proud. The nunilxr and valua
tion of Hill cp in the sia!'' .l.inurit'.v 1, l"t
wac i.Ul. ISi slieep'ut $2J,O30.71.
The ; sheepmen usually locale In the
towns and ninny a sprightly city owes Its
origin to the sheep Industry. Douglas,
Converse county, is a fair example, for It
Is due largely to the sheep biiHineKS that
Douglas was resurrected from a "busted
boomlct" In 188 with poverty-stricken
people to a wealthy, thriving, prosperous,
modern Improved city of perhaps 3.000 p ip-
state, with Its greut atretcnes of eraslm;
land, is in a position to maintain its su
premacy as a wool-productrg counli-y.
in '1SH6. Texas, California, Ohio. New illation in 1!U0, and the sheep business con
Mextoo. Montana, Oregon. 1'tah and Mlchl- trlbuted very materially In elevating Con-
to mean that the rattle business he a been nan were ahead of Wyoming In the sheep verse county from an insignificant county
entirely abandoned Wyoming is atlll a industry in the order named. The fact that of the fourth class, with po r credit and
cattla atate and will remain so, but there Wyoming Is now the banner shui-p and a debt of $13MXp0. to a strong county of the
is more of tha Jtotsteln, more of the Bhort- wool state of the union Is an accompll-ih- second class on a cash basis with its debt
born and leaa of the nondescript. Herds tent of which all cltia n of that stite may reduced to $40,000. including the new court
are not so large as they formerly were, .
but they are catalogued In a different i
ulaaa. ,
But to return to the chief toplo, which
is sheep. There was In the early days of
the west a prejudice aa-alnat sheep raising,
because it was classed as a "tame" oucu
( sheepmen have Invented
nings In cattle, horses,
Irrigation enterprises.
i:ks and .ii ious other enter
tliHt It would be difficult to
nterprlst" that has not benefited
ep business. Instances could he
'eat, length giving names of per
cin'inetn'ed the business ten to
fifteen ears ago without a cent who are
jiow men worth all the way iroiu S.'iO.OOO to
$ O.'.ff.t.'. Tl ere Is big money In t lie businues
tt prevailing prices.
A large wool warehouse was built In
l cusias by the co-operation of the siietp
11. en of tills locality soniw year:' ao. The
building is ;x;;it feet in dimension, on
truckage, and has a storage capj.'l. of
l.Cov.000 pounds of wool.
In 153 there was absilutely nothing but
rabbits and rattlesnakes on the present
site of Douglas, but , C. II. 'King had
pitched a tent at the mouth of Antelope
creek. Just north of town, and was occupy
ing it as a store, and 'beside It was an
other owned by a surveyor named Wattles,
and a small shuck t:i which two enterpris
ing cowpunchers named lllatsdell and
Motley l.ad opened a saloon. In July, iss,,,
Douglas proper w-.-is platted and surveyed.
The lallroad peoiilc. however, refused to
allow even a tent stake to be driven on
the new townslte and announced that no
lots would be sold until the rails wore
laid to Douglas.
The railroad readied TMuglas m Sal-
O. V. Melcalf, wt the
actual work begtut. The
; Nebraska Odd Fellows Look Forward to the Coming- ;Rainy Day"
pation. The cowboy was a picturesque,
1iift.ly-reapec.ted figure. The aheeitherder
waa a mollycoddle in public estimation.
Cowboys were prone to become bibulous
a.nd make targets of towns. Shipepherdcrs.
It ttey Imbibed at all, slunk oft Into soli
tude and had their bout with Hacchus
entirely free from gunpowder saturnalia.
Wyoming la now the banner sheep raising
tate of the union, eclipsing Texas, which
formerhy stood first; Montana, another
strong rival; Utah, the natural home of the
sheep; Oregon and other states from
whence came the mutton1 chops and the
wool clip of the world. 1
The Introduction of sheep Into Wyoming
dates from the year when Jim Davis
. herded a small band down near Muskrat
canyon at Rawhide Buttes. In about the
year HiSa John Morton and J. J. Hurd and
others csme up from the Union Pacific
country with bands of sheep. In the year
JS9I the f'latte Valley Sheep company was
organised. The Introduction of the sherp
business met with decided opposition.
Ranchmen and cattlemen objected to any
one Invading what they considered their
perquisites the free use of the public
range. About 189.1 a number of sheep out
fits were visited by armed bodies of ranch
1 men and cattlemen, who were called "gin
uysackera" on account of bring dlsgu r, d
with a gunny suck over their heads, and
who marked off deadlines on the range.
Fhrcp wagons were burned, sheep shot and
clubbed to death and herders shot at and
mistreated.
The sheepmen at this time, with few ex
ceptions, were without fixed habitations
and were content to start the herders out
with bands of 2,600 sheep and a sheep
wagon, aud In some instances with a p.o-l
outfit. The increase In prices from I1..V)
and 1-aO for grown ewes to gave the
Industry an impetus in lsao. und people en
gaged In the business to bu.h an extern
that It has rapidly Increased In volume
and extent up to the present time. It
speedily became apparent th.it the business
bad come to stay, and men who bad been
the most bitter "gunnysackers" engaged In
It and ar today wealthy men.
aiuepioin Ixgaii to f-re the need of fiiv'l
habitation and cured permanent 'itiar
ters and bo. ht land and tangos, and at
the present 1 .10 no sheepman ,n.r.',; of en
gaging In tno business without having
at Uast one-fifth of his capital invested !,
land und range. The prtkenl plan of man
aging the buslnesu Is oil much safer lines
than It was m the pa.it. Xow nearly every
thoepman provides t'rattt und hay In large
liuantltlrs.
fc'ypeiienrea and far-weelns abeetreii lilt
J. T. Militants. John Motion, Dr. Wilson,
W. V. Hamilton. E. M. Gibson. I.
Rlcha.ds und other are putting thourand
tf dollars ir.lo Irrigation and asrlrulluiai
piouucts. and the prediction Is freely mail.',
vithoul fear of contraJllUn, that within
flv yoara this vicinity on completion of
the Irrigation enterprises now building w!!i
b a second Toil Collins lit Its sheep-Ccrd-tntf
Industry.
Vli I.y bualueas is lastly more pro
fitable than the cattle and racuh bjvlm-ss.
1i e tattleuian lias to wait three eius for
iikicIi of a r-turn; the sheepman has ld
wu'Jl ti p and hid laiTiu the fusl .s.. I'hu
K.vlh of the si, rep liilness duihi. Hw
were laid to a pohit west of the stock continult'5 through four days. The first now ownej by
yards, which was the terminus for about day's sales exoeeded $30,000, and In all ?11 first on whjen
a year. I,. M. Tylei was the first agent, lots were so!d for a total of $70.W. Tha first weoU of railroad service brought In
who was succeeded In March of the fol- fctieets had bi en cleared of sagebrush, a-nd train loud after train load of lumber, and
lowing year by C. c. Vardee. liis In the almost with the first sale building was any man who could drive a bail was paid
t- a day. The sound of hammer and saw
was heard everywhere, day and night.
Douglas, It is said, was the first town in
tho state to make the matter of planting
and caring for trees on the streets, a
strictly municipal function. The fl'st treer,
weie planted by the town. There are now
as many trees maintained by the town on
the streets as are to be found in all tho
permanent town of Duuplns of today were under way and a city was born. The King
urday, August 22, aid on Mond.iy the rails sold at auc.lon, beginning September 30 and storeroom, coiner Center ami Thitd street.,
T
HU cornerstone laying of the Ne
braska Odd Fellows Home at
York last Monday marked an
epoch In the progress of that
order in Nebraska. A large
crowd of members from various
parts of the state were In attendance and
the event was characterised by mingled
dignity and enthusiasm.
This home which, when completed, will
be one of the finest in tho United Stales,
is for the benefit tt indigent Odd Kellows
and the widows aud orphans of deceased
Odd Fellows.
The Home trustees are: tleurge L.
lAH'inls, chairman, W. H. Cotton, Mary
Caldwell, Grace 15. Halter, secretary, S. fi.
Patten. W. H. Barnes, J. S. Hoagland.
Oscar O. tfnvder, Mary D. Idvlnprtoii.
Into the cornerstone went a box which
contained mementos us follows:
X'UutJrdiiU vi (Jraud. Master J, V,
Kelly and wife.
Photcgtaph of O. O. Snyder and his lodge
history. i
Photograph of locating committee, li)00.
and 190U trustees.
Photograph of first shovel of dirt' at
breaking of sod for new building.
1909 proceedings of grand lodge, grand
encampment, Kebekah assembly and de
partment council.
Cfpy of the constitution of each of the
four branches of the order.
Hiblti, tho gift of Grand Secretary I. I.
Gage.
Complete history of Home enterprise from
Its first' conception to the laying of the
cornerstone July 4, 1910.
Program of the day's exercises.
Copy of Nebraska Odd Fellow.
Gold c In, J2 B0, date IftOS.
silver coin, $1, date W04.
SUvcx toil), 50 cents, date ll'lO.
Silver coin, 20 cents, date liKlli.
Silver coin, 10 cents, date WW.
Nicked coin, 5 cents, dato V.HiT.
Copper coin. 1 cent, date IMS.
Copper coin, 1 cent, m readable.
Two Lincoln pennies.
Three souvenir spoons.
Copy of The Omaha Bee, Sunday Issue,
July 3, 1910, giving a description of the
Home building and the pivgram for the
exercises of the day.
The growth of the Odd Fellows' order
In Nebraska, as well as throughout the
country at large, has been phenomenal. In
the nineteenth century the first lodge was
organ'xed in Baltimore, Aprfl 26, ltd'.!, and
by lKSO this lodge of five members had
spread to 175,000. That looked like a big
number 1n that early day, but It paled Into
Insignificance by the census i f 1K90, show ing
a total membership UirouKUout the Juris
diction of T.,nm. And now. In liHO. the
total membership in the United States Is
estimated at over 2,000.000.
Here Is a compilation of facts concern
ing Odd Fellowship In Nebraska:
Number of lodges In state, UIO.
Members In the state. '.".M'iO.
Kelief paid. 1W. $;V
First move for home In lMtf to raise en
dowment fund, which now amounts to
2i.0O0.
Hullding fund begun January 1. 1T, now
amounts to Vj.OOl).
Value of home property al York. S'lOW,
all paid, of whir" citizens of York ' g:ivo
I0.C00.
Cornerstone firisheo ready for laying
Is the Klft of Pnxton Ledge, No. 211, Pax
ton, Neb.
F.stimated cost of home $I"0.000.01.
The preliminary steps looking to 1 lie con
struction of the home at York were be-.:un
In 18!:S. At that time u committee vns.
selected to begin the woik of ruLilny
necessary funds, ami thu work lia. pro
ceeded gradually ever since. Much time Is
required for the culmination of such a
movement, and it was not until 1909 that
the site was selected. It consists of WO
acres of fine land, adjoining the beautiful
little city of York, and It N generally
conceded that a more sightly and more
generally advantageous location could not
have been found. The site alone cost $20,000.
exclusive of building, which, of llsulf, re
quires an expenditure of SIOO.OO'?. A land
scape expert has been employed to beautify
the grounds, aud when this work Is fin
ished, it will be not only a credit to Ne
braska Odd Fellows, but one of the state's
show places, as well. Many of the states
now have honn s for Indigent Odd Fel
lows, and Nebraska is coming forward
with u home thai will vie Willi the best
them.
i ". ,;':'',y"vT'"'f, V-i-i". 'V. -safetfr A i I SI
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VSy ,:Uf Es yjf
Plllll WIIHimillll.il II IIIMII I II IIHII rTTl I ; ; -snrajnnllt II H Ill IWIIIIIHII
residence lots. From one end of the town
to the other the streets are , lined with
thrifty shade trees, all planted under town
supervision und watered and otherwise
cared for at town expense.
Tho value of water is only beginning
lo be realized by the people of Wyoming.
In reality, it is in so.ne ways the most
Important muterlal problem of their Im
mediate future.
The wealth of romantic and picturesque
Incident and adventure surrounding the
earlier chapters of the history of Wyoming
must always b- fascinating and entertain
ing, llut the history likely to be of endur
ing Interest to the practical American mind
Is found In the period of solid material ad
vancement. In the broad swe-p of Induatrisl
development which began simultaneously
with the beginning of irrigation prolecls
here, and with tho discovery by a large
portion of Wyoming people, that the sta;o
contained something more than ft few fertl'u
viver valleys surrounded by unlimited range
for sheep and cattle.
I 'p to I hat time the Impression of Wyom
ing curried In the minds of a vast majority
of people was a land chiefly useful as a
roudhed for railroads leudlng to mure fu
voi'd lauds to east and west, and to have
been avoided hud avoidance been possible.
Tales of the bail Indians audi worse while
men were common through the eastern
papers. Some or the siorie were true; mo.'i
ol'lhrin were not.
Uul a lo w day lias come In Wyoming.
The aiwikciiiug, at first partial and local,
becume complete and general five ear
ago. Since that time Wyoming's Industrial
development lias been moving forward by
leaps ami bounds until toduy there ta no
ii'nii so blind as not to see the brilliant
piomise of the fm ure. Cities and town are
growluu. railroads are reaching out in all
dnectlons, new Industries are being estab
lished. I he forest and mines are being ex
ploited, and last and most Important of all
lie jn.ssllilllt lis of tile land ure being dis
covered aud made known; for it Is in agri
culture tha! this recent development has
been most 1 cilia 1 liable unit It is to the land
tliai Wyoming must look for Its greatest
de velopment in the Inline.
The hoiiir-mukitiK instinct Is a well de
veloped trait in Wyoming, character. The
pbuiccis bii have done much to conquer
t lie wilderness and drie back the frontier,
und the earlier pioneers who crossed the
plains ncie iiiipelb d by this insiinci. mote
than by the love of adventure or the lure
of Mold io wander forth Into strange lands.
The pioneer of Wyoming was the cattle
man, lie fuiiiud but little and from the
nature of lil-i business and the methods of
uptrutlou, u.-i a rule, wanted no neighbors.
The real hoiue-bullder, who undertook to
subdue the plains ami Hid valleys to agri
culture, encountered many difficulties.
Irrigation has not kept pace with the
j.iogrets of settlement and ctvilUellon in
Wyoming, it Is clear that the agricultural
iiaouriis of this stale are measured by the
water supply. The power of the soil is
beyond question. People are btglnnlug l
understand that lo coutiol the water Is lo
Insure the harxrst. Floods aud druuttis
whlcii annually visit the liusihig farmer
will 111 time be uukiiuwu.
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