Mining was not the only thing to which these people turned their attention, as we find that Joe Wild took, for ranching purposes, land on the Grasshopper, a short distance above town, on the west side of the Creek, early in August, 1862.
A. J. and G. W. Stanly claimed land, "Commencing at the mouth of a small brook about two miles above Stapleton's Bar, on the north side of Grasshopper Creek, 40 rods on each side of said Brook following the meanderings of said brook, in a northerly direction to a stake. Dated September 1st, 1862." On September 5th, they located the water of the brook.
All of the valley of the Grasshopper was taken up, 1865, to a place 9 or 10 miles north.
Horse Prairie.
Louis Dupuis took land on Horse Prairie, April 2nd, 1862, as follows:
"Know all men by these presents, that I, louis Dupuis, claim for ranching purposes, 160 acres of land, situated on Horse Prairie Creek, commencing on said creek and running north 160 rods, thence east 160 rods, thence south 160 rods, thence west 160 rods to place of beginning.''
As Horse Prairie Creek is 80 or more miles long, one can see that the description is not very definite. Many other places were taken up on Horse Prairie, shortly after this.
We find that Fortien had taken up a place near the crossing on the 14th of July, 1863, and that Martin Barrett and Joe Shineberger had on the 17th of that month selected land immediately west of Fortien. This ranch became well known as the Horse Prairie ranch, and was the one where the gray horse was kept.
Martin Barrett lived on this ranch until 1911, or 48 years. He Built a fine two-story brick house, the finest in its day, in the county. He accumulated a fortune, and sold to John Peterson, a young Swede, that came to the Big Hole less than twenty years before, broke. Shineberger moved to Red Rock, and also left a fortune at his death. Barrett and Shineberger must be considered the first bona fide settlers on ranch lands in Southern Montana.
Fortien's ranch was sold at Sheriff's sale, by Henry Plummer, November 15th, 1863, for $367.00, to John Teters.
Bird in Hand. Ranch.
S. R. Mecklin located on a branch of Horse Prairie, called Dry Creek, August 25th, 1864. He probably thought that ranching would be safer than mining. He was right, but he did not stay long enough to find out.
On Beaverhead.
"F(rank) Ruff has this day recorded 160 acres of land for farming and ranching purposes, on the stream known as the Beaverhead, below the mouth of the Grasshopper Creek. Said ranch is the first located, and is No. 1, running down, November 8th, 1862."
Joseph Wild, got wild, and took up the next claim. It is a strange thing that Ruff and Wild were to be the first persons to go into a wild, rough section of the country, and locate the first ranches. Why they left them I do not know, as there is no record to tell how they disposed of their places.
James Gamble claims for ranching purposes 160 acres of land, situated at the forks of Rattlesnake and Beaverhead on the west side of the Rattlesnake, Bannack District, April 27th, 1863. This man came to Bannack on April 20th, 1863, with Hugh O'neil's train. John Y. Bishop was also in the same train.
Richard T. Harris claimed 160 acres of land, near Picket, taking in both sides of the creek, on Beaverhead, a little above the mouth ofRattlesnake, September 3rd, 1864. On December 30th, 1864, Thomas W. Chapman I Company and J. R. Stems, took land on the Rattlesnake, located one mile below the Point of Rocks, on said Creek, commencing at a stake opposite a low gap in the bluffs on the north side.
William Fox took up land on the Beaverhead, March 6th, 1865. No one could tell from the description where that land is now.
Tom Selway took up land as follows: "Said land is on both sides of the Beaverhead river, and bounded on the north by bluffs and included the mouth of Blacktail Deer Creek.'' September 5, 1865. Prior to that time, Henry Burfiend. had taken up a claim, afterwards to become the property of Philip Thorpe. He did not appear to place the same on record. Henry Burfiend came to Montana from California, and mined in Alder Gulch. In the fall of 1864 he located a piece of land about four miles north of Dillon, and began farming the next year. He thinks he broke the first, piece of land with a plow. The plow was made by a blacksmith in Virginia City, but was not very good because it would not scour.
Tom Selway broke some land the same year Burfiend broke his land. Henry Hayman -- called Little Henry -- had spaded up a, piece on the adjoining land near the river, and had sold his crop for $1,500. This was in 1864. In 1865, he bought a yoke of oxen of W. B. Carter, plowed and put in more land, but the grasshoppers ate him out, he became disgusted, and packed up and went to Oregon. Mr. Burfiend had a partner, named Frank Jacobs. Then seed was very high. They paid 25 cents per pound for seed oats and bought of Mr. Henneberry, one sack of seed potatoes, for which they gave $55.00. They had two loads of potatoes, which they sold in Bannack for 15 cents per pound. The grasshoppers ate the grain. W. G. Carter said that he believes that Burfiend was probably correct. In the winter of 1864, Carter camped close to where Dillon is now. The cattle were put between Blacktail and the river. The next morning, he said, "I had to go after them through snow knee deep. They had taken the back trail. I followed them up the river for some distance, through the brush. All at once, I came to a small park, and at a short distance, I saw a cabin. It struck me that it might be the home of some of the road agents, but soon a woman came to the door and threw out some dish water. I am sorry that I did not investigate and find out who she was. That was before any ranches had been taken up. I would have found out, but was afraid to go to the cabin."
It is too bad that we could not have become possessed of this knowledge -- the name of the first woman to live on the Beaverhead. This was at a point between the home of Craig Cornell and the P. H. Poindexter ranch -- but over in the thick willows, near the river.
James Kirkpatrick settled on land, on Rattlesnake, September 30th, 1865, and was quite extensively connected with the stock interests for years. He has resided in Montana for over fifty years.
X. Renois and Amede Bessett located land on the Beaverhead, December 1st, 1865, near the mouth of Rattlesnake. David Jones, on Rattlesnake, December 6th, 1865.
William Roe took a claim adjoining Bessett's December 15, 1865. James Ashbaugh, sometime prior to January 2nd, 1866, as I. W. Isle had a claim next to him on that date.
On January 6th, 1866, William Sturgis located the land afterward to become the home of Phil Lovell. On the 8th day of January, 1866, Craig Cornell located as follows:
Beginning at a stake on Blacktail Deer Creek, about three-quarters of a mile from its junction with the Beaverhead; thence running south one-half mile, etc., etc. Craig Cornell, the man who has lived almost 50 years on the same piece of land, or longer than any other man in Southern Montana, or probably in the state.
G. W. Emrick took the land just below the mouth of the Beaverhead Canyon, January 10th, 1866.
John Carrico, one of the prominent miners and discoverers of the mines in Bannack, located two miles below the Canyon, January 11, 1866, and John Carhart took the land next to him on the north, the same day.
On October 16th, 1864, 0. D. Farlin located land on Birch Creek, about one and one-lialf miles below the canyon. Land had been located on the Big Hole the same year, on the bottom below Brown's bridge.
Land on the Stinking Water.
The first piece of land we find any record of was taken August 13th, 1863, by Boup, how, Ely R Company, a certain tract of land of 640 acres, situated and described as follows, to-twit:
Commencing at a point where the Stinking Water empties into the Jefferson, thence one mile down said Jefferson; thence one mile south, and running parallel with the said Stinking Water Creek; thence westward to said creek; thence down said stream to place of beginning.
This land is now in Madison County, though the record was made at Bannack. There is also a little mistake on the part of the locators. They had taken the Beaverhead for the Stinking Water, as the latter stream runs into the Beaverhead, and not into the Jefferson.
Quite a number of those early locators continued to call the Beaverhead country -- home. They could not have found a fairer land than it, nor one that would yield to their efforts any greater returns.