John Hunton would not be sure about that, but he thought the mountain was unnamed pior to the locating of the 66 brand. However, a number of old timers, namely: D. McUlvane, Colin Hunter, H. M. Ingraham, and others have said that the mountain was named before the Daters appeared in this country. The thrilling events that led to the naming of mountain forms another chapter in the history of the west. It was one of the strangest mysteries, and unwritten events in all the chronology of western Nebraska.

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

THE CATTLE OF SIXTY-SIX .MOUNTAIN

The death of M. Goshe in his cabin on Cherry creek, of Jacques Laramie on the Laramie river, of Gonneville on Pumpkin creek, of Hiram Scott on Scotts Bluff (mountain), of Ruleau in the Wild Cat range, of Creel in his famous Bull canyon, are tragedies that marked the territory around about Sixty-six mountain, as one of danger and death, long before the mountain was named. A spot upon the map of the world when conflict and homicide seemed inevitable and frequent. It was shunned by the trappers of old, except the most ventursome, and such as dared its reputation, almost invariably perished in the wilderness.

The fame of the mountain does not extend far across the wide reaches of western prairie, except along the Texas trail, where from the Panhandle of the Lone Star state to Assinnaboine, the cow-punchers knew of the Daters and the famous Sixty-six brand.

Only a few have heard of the battle of Sixty-six mountain, and most of the early ranchmen assume that the cattle brand brought into use the name. Phil and Jim Dater, however, who came up the trail in 1872, and established the ranch, adopted the brand because the mountain already bore the name.