Parameter name: request
Error in deserializing body of reply message for operation 'Translate'. The maximum string content length quota (8192) has been exceeded while reading XML data. This quota may be increased by changing the MaxStringContentLength property on the XmlDictionaryReaderQuotas object used when creating the XML reader. Line 2, position 9054.
The year before the Civil War ended in 1865, a wagon train wound its way through treacherous country into North Boulder Valley, Montana. Nine Irish families staked their claims in the promising terrain weary from their trip but glad to be away from the lawlessness of gold rush town, Alder Gulch. Boulder Valley is 28miles from Helena, 35 miles to Butte "and about as close to heaven as I'll ever get," says Paul (Brud) Smith. Brud's great-grandfather, Phillip Smith, was one of those intrepid travelers, bringing with him his family, including son Cornelius (Con as he was called) who drove an ox team from Denver to Alder at the age of 13.
Con's most memorable experience of the trip was when a band of Indians swooped down on the wagon train from the hills above, thankfully more curious than hostile, but nonetheless startling. No one was harmed, but one daring brave spotted Con's favorite red shirt hanging at the rear of the wagon, claimed it jubilantly and made off with it much to his dismay. Indians, weather, backbreaking work and the sheer remoteness of the valley were trials for the young family.
Advice given to one young woman in the group seemed very fitting for this extraordinary journey into the unknown: "If you must go west, make sure you take your heavy underwear and your fortitude with you."
Fortitude was always a part of young Con's constitution as he again drove the team of oxen over land to settle the family in Boulder Valley a year after his red shirt disappeared. Under the guidance of his father, Phillip, the land was homesteaded and mysterious creatures never before seen in Ireland materialized, such as the foul smelling black and white critter called a skunk. Con, being the only son, had enormous responsibilities helping to establish the ranch: harnessing the river to provide water for crops and livestock, hewing trees to build homes and barns, moving mountains to build roads. When he was sixteen the decision was made that he needed to have a more formal education than he could get in the Valley. His well planned trunk and planned departure for a Jesuit school in Chicago ended not with him on the stage, but with him coming back to the ranch to stay.
In 1877, he filed for a homestead of his own after staying on to help firmly establish the main Smith ranch. He married a girl from a "well-to-do" city family who found her own home involved unimagined toil. But she rose to the occasion with her spirited pride giving birth to ten children, three of whom died in infancy and one at the age of fourteen in a tragic hunting accident. She nursed them through illnesses when the nearest doctor was 19 miles away, taught them their prayers and cooked beautiful meals.
A midwife was her only help throughout the years, besides a seamstress once a year, but the ranch required at least one ranch hand. Those ranch hands provided the children an endless stream of stories and one such hand, Billy, served as the gossip columnist for the valley telling the news and antics of all the neighbors. In the remote country, news and gossip were looked forward to and all visitors cherished. Having peddlers come was an especially joyful event for the children. "Oh, the indescribable joy of watching the peddler open his pack! We were simply fascinated with the wealth and variety of his wares whether gaudy or practical!" recalls one of the Smith children in a family paper.
Of the six children, Paul was the only one to follow in his father's footsteps as a rancher and politician. He was elected to the State Railroad and Public Service Commission where he served for over 25 years. He and his wife, Vivian, bought the present ranch in 1938. Brud, Paul's son, spent summers on the new ranch until the third grade when the family moved there permanently. He graduated from Jefferson County High School where 250 students came from as far away as 25miles. Jefferson County is the only county in the state that doesn't have a stoplight and the little town of Boulder, population 1,500, supplies the rural communities with just about everything one might need. After an undergraduate degree from Gonzaga and a stint in the Navy to see the world, Brud came home to Montana, getting his law degree from the University of Montana.
He practiced Indian Law and had his own firm before returning to the ranch in 1982 deciding to go back to what he loved. His parents were still living so he made his home outside of town and practiced law while a manager ran the ranch. In 1986, he took over the ranch and drove daily through its gates. In 2000, the family moved there because, as he says, "I wanted them to have a day-to-day ranch experience." His two girls, Brady and Darby, like the ranch and are good help calving, haying and, in general, being ranch hands. His wife, Terry Minow, still drives to Helena to act as the political director for a teacher and public employee union. She enjoys ranch life because it is much like home. Raised on a ranch 70 miles from Miles City and 35 miles from Broadus, Montana, she was schooled in a one room school house and helped her family dry land farm, raise wheat and cattle. Her fondness for the lifestyle is evident. It didn't take her long to grow to love Boulder Valley where, she says, "People take care of each other here, and they care for each other. It's a wonderful place to raise a family."
The Boulder Valley has been raising Smith families for five generations. "The Valley is always only three days away from a drought," quips Brud with a smile on his face. At 4,500 feet, the ranch is filled with mountainous meadows and lots of rocks, pretty tough ground to farm but they still manage to cut 400 acres of native grass hay, 350 acres of alfalfa and, on some years, grain, which satisfies the 1,200 ton of hay a year it takes to feed their stock. Running a commercial herd on 3,000 private acres and BLM and Forest permits, Brud uses his political skills and sense of humor to deal with the politics that plague the ranchers who deal with the federal government. One such talk was to celebrate 100 years of the Forest Service. "Dealing with Forest and BLM plans, they usually have an 'indicator species' which, if present on the landscape, indicates that the ecosystem is doing well and that the habitat is in good shape. It is usually something like a Pileated Woodpecker or jumping field mouse, depending on what ground is being reviewed.
My thought, a great indicator species is seeing cattle on Forest Service or BLM land. It indicates that there are ranches in the vicinity that are part of the ecosystem and are providing open spaces, habitat sustaining wildlife both on private property and for seasonal wildlife from federal lands. It also means a family or more contributing to the local community's desired rural lifestyle, often providing access and hunting to the public. The alternative is, when you kick the cows off of federal land, more than likely the rancher will have to sell off marginal land for subdivisions or give up ranching entirely. In other words, no cattle permits for ranchers is great for subdivisions, and bad for open spaces, wildlife habitat, sustainable ecosystems, access and hunting."
Given Brud's experience, he wouldn't trade the world to go back to being an attorney. "Not even the times when you are seven short gathering cattle from the mountains and a blizzard sets in. Not even when the bulls are fighting and you have no fences left. Not even when you are watching a calving cow like a hawk and the calf still dies. I want to see the land I am involved with continue to be agricultural. My hope for the future is that the kids can carry it on. The agricultural system is an important part of the fabric of the West. The ranching community has a social fabric where the folks rely on each other, they have a real community."
After all, what other communities turn brandings into social events, hold testicle festivals, answer a call for help in the middle of the night or stop along side the road to help someone with a flat tire? For Brud Smith and his family, ranching is right where they want to be, carrying on a family tradition and creating a new generation with a strong work ethic. "Our parents taught us by example," says Terry, who sums up the lifestyle in those six, short, poignant words.
What to know more about what I do? It's all about Western Design
No comments:
Post a Comment