It was July 1866, we were on the cattle drive for just a few day, when we got the order to instead of taking the conventional route to the markets of Missouri and Kansas, we directed our herd toward Montana, where beef-starved gold miners would be only too happy to pay our prices. Looking to the future, we briefly stopped at Leavenworth, Kan., where we purchased 150 oxen and 15 wagons, and filled them with enough cloth, tools, and other items to stock a general store in the new territory. It was a rough trip. Before reaching our destination, We fought off Sioux and Crow warriors, as well as Anglo cattle thieves. At one point, we defied an order from the U.S. Cavalry not to proceed, due to the Indian threat. We made it through by December 1866, where we finally reached what is now Livingston, Mont. We had lost only one man during the whole cattle drive trip.
Credits:
Created with images by StrategicWebDesign_Net - "yak livestock horns" • duggar11 - "Longhorn Cattle Drive - Duncan, Oklahoma"