Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 45 A born storyteller, Ballie and artist Charlie Russell natural- ly became close friends, with the two sharing their love and memories of their days on the open range before the West was fully civilized. Both of them mentioned each other in tales, such as in Ballie's account, "When Lowry Took Russell and Me to Eat," as well as Russell's stories about Ballie in "Rawhide Rawlins" and the "Night Herd." Ballie also shared Russell's penchant for sketching his first-hand reminiscences of cowboy life, his art winning awards at the Montana State Fair. The brutal winter of 1906-1907 was a turning point in the cattle industry. After the devastating losses, numerous cattle outfits decided to coordinate one last open-range roundup. Among all the wagon masters required to move over 130,000 cows, Ballie was unanimously named captain, evidence of the high esteem of his counterparts. This respect extended be- yond the border, as Ballie was also asked to be the bucking horse judge in the first Calgary Stampede in 1912. While Ballie seemed to successfully navigate the differ- ences in his heritage on a professional level, his personal life brought unique challenges. When Ballie met Myrtle Dennis from Canada, whom he called his "Queen from Ontario," the couple became serious, much to the dismay of her family. Al- though her family ultimately disowned her, they were mar- ried for 34 years. They lost their only son, Stephen Webster Buck, when he was only two. After retiring from the cattle industry in 1930, Ballie was appointed Deputy Law Officer in Augusta four years later. He was respected for good reason. Teddy Blue Abbot, an early cowhand, summed up Ballie's career best in his mem- oir: "Way up Sun River, close to the Shining Mountains, where the grass grows plenty and the water is sure cold and clear, lives 'Judge' Ballie Buck, now running a cow outfit, who for many years was one of the best-known cowpunchers in northern Montana." JOSEPH "PROC" PROCTOR The year of Joseph 'Proc' Proctor's birth is unknown, but he spent his early years in slavery on a Texas cotton planta- tion. Although he was very young, he would later remember his father being sold to another farm, and noted that he also remembered the day of their emancipation, when every freed person received a sack of corn. Proc gravitated to the world of herding cattle and wran- gling horses, eventually working for an outfit that bought a ranch on the Crow Reservation. By 1879, three short years after beginning his cattle career, he was already well-known as one of the best ranch hands in the region. In 1901, he married Elizabeth "Lizzie" McHarg, a young Black woman from Missouri who worked at the ranch. The couple settled in the small community of Castle Rock, locat- ed near Colstrip. There they raised their daughters, Sarah and Martha, who were equally proficient with horses and cattle. JOSEPH "PROC" PROCTOR MARIE "MA" GIBSON PHOTO COURTESY NORMA BEEBE PHOTO COURTESY ANNE MARIE STAMEY

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