w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m
59
BIG DIE
UP 1
IT
TAKES
YEARS
TO
RECOVER
FROM
THE
WRETCHED
WINTER
OF
1877.
MANY
CATTLE
OWNERS
WENT
BROKE,
AND
THOSE
THAT
SURVIVED
DRAMATICALLY
CHANGED
THE
WAY
THEY
OPERATED.
DISASTEROUS
BUSINESS
LOSSES
AFFECT-
ED
EVEN
THEODORE
ROOSEVELT'S
FI-
NANCES
AS
HIS
INVESTMENT
IN
A
DAKOTA
CATTLE
RANCH
WENT
BELLY
UP...
AND
WHEN
HE
BECAME
PRESIDENT
IN
1901,
ROOSEVELT
CREATED
THE
U.S.
FOREST
SERVICE,
ESTABLISHED
THE
NATIONAL
PARK
SYSTEM,
AND
HAD
MILLIONS
OF
ACRES
DESIGNATED
PUBLIC
LANDS.
I DON'T KNOW, CLYDE - - DO YOU THINK THE DAYS
OF UNLIMITED HERDS AND GRAZING ARE GONE,
WITH RANCHERS EMPLOYING THIS NEWLY-INVENTED
BARBED WIRE STUFF TO FENCE THEIR ACREAGE,
ALLOWING HERDS TO EAT IN SPECIFIC PARCELS TO
LET OTHER AREAS REGROW WHILE STOCKPILING
ENOUGH HAY TO GET THROUGH A WINTER, AS WELL AS
THE BEGINNINGS OF PROPER LAND MANAGEMENT?
BULLY! MY EYES AND BANK
ACCOUNT HAVE SEEN THE DANGERS
OF OVERGRAZING. THE WEST
NEEDS TO HAVE NEW LAWS THAT
ENCOURAGE SUSTAINABLE
RANCHING!
YEP.
WITH
THE
TYPICAL
COWBOY
BLACK
HUMOR,
THE
TRAGIC
WINTER
IS
CALLED
"THE
BIG
DIE-UP,"
A
PLAY
ON
THE
TRA-
DITIONAL
RANCH
ROUND-UPS.
OVER
360,000
HEAD
OF
CAT
TLE
DIED
THAT
WINTER,
AND
WITH
THEM
THE
LIFE
OF
THE
LONESOME
COWBOY
WITH
HIS
HOME
ON
THE
RANGE
PASSED
INTO
MYTH
AND
LEGEND....
