Sheridan and Northern Wyoming Developing Rapidly
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HE LIVE STOCK industry of Wyoming,
which for r long time was its only in
dustry, has a history as varied and ro
mantic as a sixteenth century tale.
People cannot remember when stock
did not graze on the grasses of the
plains and mountain sides of Wyoming.
When the white man began to' people this region and
crowd the Indian to the interior, herds of horses, cows
and sheep could be scon feeding upon the succulent
grasses of Wyoming.
The extension of railroads, the opening of new ag
ricultural communities, the development of mining,
the evolution of the thoroughbred from the long
horned steer, are rapidly crowding oft the scene the
old days of the open cattle range and the romance of
these early days on the frontier would soon fade with
the rapidly receding past were it not' for a unique and
remarkable "fiesta" that every year is given at; Chey
enne, the capital of the state and one of the most
famous of the old cow towns of the far west.
The skill of the cowboy today is no less than that
of his predecessor of the early dayB, and many an old
cattleman in the grandstand, now perhaps a staid
merchant or banker, is stirred to heights of enthusi
asm by the picture spread before him under the bril
liant Wyoming sunshine of the vanished days of his
youth, when the keen, rare air of the plains turned
tho young blood to wine and danger and hardship
were but the spice of his dally meat.
The cattle business has seen many changes since
the old days of the open range, but it still calls for
young men of courage, horsemanship, physical
strength and agility and mental quickness and good
Judgment.
$
Stock Growing Paid Well.
The live stock Industry has been In the past the
most remunerative business of this section of the
west; mining and agriculture are now fast becoming
close competitors. The days of the large outfits have
passed, but the business has not declined In conse
quence, but is now far more profitable. Land owners
are rapidly learning that it is more profitable to bring
their land under proper cultivation than to hold It
solely for range purposes.
On the eastern slope of the Big Horn mountains,
and protected by its towering peaks, lies a portion of
Wyoming, designated as Sheridan county. Under ex
isting conditions the ranchmen of Sheridan county
keep just the number of animals that can be well
cared for in the winter time, and it is the universal
practice at the present time to provide sufficient for
age to carry all stock through in1 good condition.
Favored by nature, the territory embraced In the
county was almost the last battleground of the In
dians before they were placed In their reservations.
Watered by numerous mountain streams fed by the
eternal snows of the Big Horn range, it has gained a
wide reputation for its salubrious climate, productive
fields and live stock interests, as well as for Its ex
haustless beds of high-grade lignite coal which fur
nish cheap fuel for domestic and manufacturing pur
poses. Sheridan county was organized In 1888 and named
for General Phil Sheridan, who camped on the site
of the present city with his command in August. 1881.
It has now passed from a purely pastoral condition to
one of mixed husbandry. Stock raising, farming,
dairying and gardening are practiced In varying de
grees. The average temperature is about 60 degrees
Fahrenheit: the rainfall fifteen Inches. All field
crops common to the west succeed well.
S
KUonMve Development Through Irrigation.
The development through irrigation has not been
confined to any particular locality. The soil is ex
ceedingly fertile, the water reliable and the altitude
sufficiently low to warrant the planting of auy of the
ordinary field crops. The creeks are lined, therefore,
with the farms of rum h men, who, combining farming
and stock raising, are prosperous.
Approximately 50,000 acres of Sheridan county
Irrigated lands are under cultivation in hay, grain
and vegetables, the greater portion of which annually
produces from three to five tons of hay per acre; the
balance is devoted to tha raising of wheat, oats, bar
ley, rye, corn, vegetables, etc. The average yield of
wheat per acre la in the neighborhood of forty bushels.
There are still many acres of irrigated lands la
Sheridan county, well improved, with good water
rights and within a reasonable distance from this city,
selling from $30 an acre up. The establishment of
a beet sugar factory at Sheridan would lucrease the
value of these lands more than double and conditions
would soon obtain here as do now in the sugar com-
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munltles of northern Colorado, where land sells as Shoshone range, spurs of the great Continental Divide,
high as $300 an acre. ' Passing centrally through this basin in a north
No other county in' the state possesses as many erly direction, Its mecnderlngs covering more than
excellent trout streams as Sheridan. Tongue river, 100 miles, is the Big Horn river. This Is, in many
Big and Little Goose creeks and their tributaries, all respects, one of the most remarkable basins situated
abound in mountain trout, while numerous mountain on either side of the great Continental Divide; this is
lakes, scattered over the Big Horn range, make the true, whether we consider its great area, the lofty
Sheridan country the fisherman's paradise. A state mountains enclosing it on all sides except the north,
flah hatchery located here insures the proper stocking its equable climate or the fertility of Its soils.
of all streams each year and, in spite of the rapidly
population of the county, as estimated for 1907, was
4.263. The total assessed valuation is $2,686,0?2.65.
With its rolling plains, extensive forests and fertile
valleys, it is Justly regarded as one of tha best sec
tions of the state. The Big Horn mountains have an
elevation of 13,000 feet, while many of the valleys
are less than 400 feet above the sea level.
n Buffalo, the county seat, has always been a pros
perous town, and at the present time has a population
of over 2,000. It is the business center of a fine
grazing and agricultural , district and has superior
natural advantages. '
as western towns go, was nestled between the two
mountain streams that meet within its limits.
Those who view the modern city of Sheridan to
day, with all its twentieth century equipment, its
beautiful homes, splendid mercantile and office build
ings, magnificent public edifices, churches, schools,
banks, railroad shops, parks and summer resorts,
scarcely stop to consider that twenty-five years ago
the site of the city was a stretch of bunch grass and
sagebrush, peopled by prairie dogs in number greater
than the population of the city now standing on tb
ruins of their villages The Sheridan city school sys-
Increaslng numbers of fishing parties, the speckled
beauties seem to be as plentiful as ever.
At no point In the state, within as easy reach of
the railroad, is big game still to be found in such
abundance as in the Sheridan country. The big game
country begins within twenty miles of the city and
the Big Horn range abounds In delightful sport for
the hunter. Not only big game, but small game in
abundance, Is to be found in almost every part of
Sheridan county. ' '
The climate Is one of the richest endowments of
Wyoming; It Is exhilarating; cheers and braces each
Individual, lending character to the civil and indus
trial life and imparting to the citizens a robustness
of physique unequaled in any country In the entire
world.
Mlueral Itettourcrs Are Ilich.
There are few states in the union that possess
mineral resourced as vat and varied as those of
Wyoming. Until now the crying need of these re
sources has been railroad transportation, but that
need has been supplied. Up-to-date Investors are
now searching the camps of Wyoming for the mines
that meet their requirements and means and brains
are now making mines out of these long-neglected
prospect, and even at this early date the results are
flattering.
There Is not another Rocky mountain state with
greater possibilities than Wyoming, or that offers bet
ter opportunities for mineral Investments; certainly
none with so much public domain subject to location
as mineral land, and. besides the precious metals, the
wealth of coal, oil and natural gas will some day make
Wyoming as great a producing snd manufacturing
state as Pennsylvania is today.
Coal mining has been the leading mineral indus
try In the state and will, in all probability, continue
in the front rank for a time, though copper Is fast
gaining upon it. Coal mining had Its origin with the
advent of the transcontinental railroad and bus In
creased with the development of the state, until today
It employs over 10,000 workmen and has a production
of 6.218.778 tons of coal per annum. There la no
region of equal area that is possessed of more abound
ing and diversified richness of resources and possibil
ity; it Is almost as limitless in undeveloped opportuni
ties as It was when Bonneville first broke his wav Into
Jackson Hole, now the wonderland of the United
States
Big Horn county was so named from the Big Horn
or Rocky mountain sheep, which abound in the Big
Horn mountains, on the east side of the Big Horn
Basin. The county was organized in 1S96. and popu
lation is given as 8,942. The total assessed valuation
Is given at 14.851,918.42; the acreage listed for taxa
tion is given at 249.S02.10 acres; the average eleva
tion of the agricultural portion Is 4,600 feet. It was
the last organized county of the state aud consists of
that portion of the northwestern corner known as the
Big Horn Basin. On the east looms up the Big Horn
range, some of its peaks rising 12,000 feet above sea
level; on the west lower the equally high peaks of the
Crook County is of Good Promise.
Crook county was organized in 1875 and was
named after General George Crook, the noted Indian
fighter. This county is situated in the northeastern
corner of the state; it is 102 miles long by 60 wide
and has an area of 6,120 square miles, and Is
traversed by the Burlington railroad. The popula
tion of Crook county is given at 3,831; the land listed
for taxation Is 294,308.96 acres, valued at $835,
938.01; the total valuation is $3,010,933.64. The
county seat and principal town is Sundance. Valua
ble coal deposits await transportation facilities. Low
ranges of mountains, well timbered, traverse the
county, adding to the attractiveness of the landscape.
Crook county is traversed by the Belle Fourche,
the Little Missouri and the Little Powder rivers. The
water of the streams generally is pure and suitable
to domestic uses. Along these streams are fertile
yalleys of fine farming lands and between the streams
are found extensive plateaus, suitable for grazing.
Many of the streams of the county furnish excellent
sport to those who enjoy the pursuit of game fish.
Johnson county was orgaulzed in 1879 and named
after E. P. Johnbon. a prominent attorney of Chey
enne. It has an area of 4,046 square miles. ,The
tern, with a force of thirty teachers and an enrollment
Water Power Going to Waste. of 1,350 pupils, is no small Xactor in the life and pros
Clear creek could furnish water power for a hun- perlty of the city,
dfed factories, besides irrigating several thousand Sheridan is the best, most prosperous, most mod
acres of land. At the present time Buffalo is thirty- ern( ani destined to be the largest city, in Wyoming,
two miles from the Burlington railroad, but at no diB- Few lf any western cities the size of Sheridan can
tant day expects to bave a railroad connection. , Its boast of as large a cash monthly pay roll. At this
citizens have been very enterprising in building up the writing there is disbursed among the miners, mechan
town, having erected a $45,000 school house, four jC8i railroad men and the soldiers at Fort Mackenzie
good churches, three banks, a $10,000 city hall,-with more than half ""a million dollars in cash every month,
numerous other brick buildings, and a $40,000 hotel. 0f tha year.
uuiiaio is noiea ror us excellent gravity water system,
which sffords sufficient water, piped from the mouth
of Clear creek canyon, to supply the general demand
for domestic purposes, irrigation of lawns and gar
dens and fire protection. The water supply is suffi
cient for a city of 10,000 people. The city also main-
Wyoming Leads in Sheep.
Wyoming leads all the western states and terri
tories in the price per head of its sheep, and leads
every Btate in the union in total value of its sheep,
tains an electric light plant, flouring mill and two the number and value of its lambs, the amount and
newspapers. Two stage lines are operated. value of its wool clip and the average weight of fleece
The city of Sheridan, the county seat and principal produced. Wyoming also has the distinction of being
town in the county, is located near the center and is the father of the modern irrigation law and the re-
a wide-awake, up-to-date city, with a population of clamatlon act, and among the foremost states In work
over 10,000. Sheridan was "laid out" in May, 1882, done under them.
by J. n. Loucks. At the close of that year the little
frontier settlement boasted a small store, postofflce,
blacksmith shop, three dwelling houses, a restaurant,
a saloon and a school. Little by little the village
It must be clearly understood by prospective set
tlers that a great proportion of the lands In Wyoming
are valuable for farming only If they can be placed
under irrigation, and It is with this In mind that the
Training the Athletic Mind
A sound mind in a sound bouy, son, is something
to which no one can take exceptions, and the eniptias s
Is rightfully placed, says an expert writing in tiie .New
York Herald. The sound mind should come first.
Quite likely the two are in a large measure inter
dependent, but we must never forget that it Is the
sound mind rather than the sound body which has
done the work of the world.
They tell me, son, that you were a somewuai
noted athlete during our (oiiege days. 1 am glad to
hear it. They tell me also that you were only a fair
student. I am just as glad to know that. YoW college
days wrrc your trowing days, and I should he sorry,
son, if ou had permitted any oue of jour faculties
to bo developed at the expense of ato ottu r. I The
reason the brilliant btiuicnt often drops back afur
he haves school Is that he faces the world with au
abnormally developej brain and narrow shoulders.
He cannot force his nay Into a hostile crowd of com
petitors with those sho,ild.r8. and the fighting spirit,
the bulldog teuacity which never admits defeat do
not seem to have its domk-'le In the bruin.
Now thitt your growing days are about over, son,
so far as your body is concerned, let that body rest,
with just enough work to keep it glowing with health,
and devote yourself to teaching your mind to do
athletic tricks. You will probably be astonished to
observe how readily It will lespoud to Intelligent
coaching aud how it will dive heudlong into an un
digested mass of information aud unfailingly tackle
grew, and before the founders knew a fair-sized town, great irrigation projects of the state, both those car
ried out by private capital and thoso now being con
structed under the direction of the federal govern
ment, are planned.
Oil nd gas wells may become exhausted, veins of
precious metal may pinch out, factories may clous
down, but the community whose stability is based
upon agriculture has a sure and enduring foundation.
In this respect Sheridan county takes rank among the
foremost agricultural regions of the west, with only
a part of Its agricultural resources developed as yet.
While the number of farms in Wyoming Is less
than in the more populous states, the value per acre
of farm products is much higher. The farm values
of the surrounding states per acre are: Nebraska,
$10 43; Iowa, $11. "X; Missouri, $13.65; Kansas,
$9.25; Wyoming, $1H.K9; Utah. $18.21.
Wyoming produced more oats than either Utah,
Nevada. Louisiaua or New Mexico; it produced an
average of 2.10 tous per acre of hay, which was
greater than the yield lu Iowa, 1.40 tons; Nebraska,
l..0 tons; Missouri, 1.40 tous; Kansas, 1.15 tons;
Texas, 1.30 tons; Montana, 1.70 tons; Nevada, 1.7 4
tons; California, 1 75 tons, and New Mexico, 2.05 tons
per acre. In Irish potatoes Wyoming's yield was 25
per cent greater per acre than Colorado, Montana and
Washington aud double that of Utah.
Irrigation is the order of the day. The farmer
has learned to piu his faith to it. While the country
is roiling, there Is but little waste land. The soil Is
universally good snd the people are universally pros
perous What this country will be In another ten
years is, of course, Impossible to predict, but it has
every appearance of being the equal of Colorado In
regard to the growing of sugar beets, and as It Is a
natural alfalfa country, the dairy Industry Is bound
to attract attention in time. The claf.s of people that
the stubborn problem before It. Train your mind to
go about its daily' tasks with the insistent' ferocity of
foot ball days, coupled with the same crafty judgment.
Stevenson, in one of bis books, makes one of his
characters say of another that the other lacks the
"iron mind of a man." It Is a fatal defect. An "ath
letic mind" would be, perhaps, a more comprehensive
term, since in addition to the solidity and hardness
of iron It carries also the Implication of vigor and
elasticity. It is only a mun with that kind of mind,
sou, who can hope to succeed; a man with a mind
of the resistance and rigidity of Iron and the supple
ness and spring of tempered steel.
In such a mind, son. there is no place for fear,
and it is crushing aud slinking fear which paralyzes
tiiobt of the mental efforts of men today. You cannot
hope to succeed, son, if you have any room In your
mind for that demon and the sooner you banish it
for all time the better.
You have ofttn been advised, son, to look forward
and not back. 1 am not altogether sure that it was
gcod advice. Your experiences lie behind you, son.
and it is largely by them and from them you must
learn. The difficulty with constantly looking ahead
is that you may see too many seemingly unsurmount
able obstacles and grow faint-hearted. The proper
attitude, son, Is this: Look back on those rxiwriences
which have been helpful and look forward hopefully
and fearlessly, and remember all the while that it is are settling this country seem to be especially adapted
the athletic mind wbkh grows and conquers. to Its development