Last Great Panhandle Cattle Drive to Montana

Last Great Panhandle Cattle Drive to Montana. . After 1880, each spring and summer many Texas herds went up the trail to northern states, for fattening. The trail thrilled and challenged cowboys, who went hungry, thirsty and saddle sore; bridged or swam the rivers; forded quicksand streams; turned stampedes; fought Indians, thieves and trail town toughs., The Last Great Texas Panhandle Drive was organized here at N Bar N (N-N) Headquarters. Ranch manager was J.L. Harrison; trail boss, T.L. (Tom) Coffee. 100 cowboys drove 10 herds, each with 2500 cattle, or a total of 25,000 beeves, to Montana, April 1 to September 1892. The cattle belonged to Niedringhaus Brothers, German tinsmiths of St. Louis, who put into ranching a fortune made in enamel granite household wares., From 1882 to 1886, N Bar N leased range in Carson and neighboring counties from the Francklyn Land and Cattle Company, a British syndicate backed by Cunard Steamship Line. Afterward this range belonged to White Deer Land Company. The N Bar N outfit left here because White Deer Land Company wanted the range cleared of large herds. By 1907 the 650,000 acres of its land was offered for sale to small ranchers and farmers. It was fenced and the steam plow introduced to turn the rich, grassy sod., (lower plaque) , N-N lease, 1889-1893, was White Deer Lands, Successor to Francklyn Land and Cattle Co., both backed by the 5th Earl of Roseberry and Cunard family.