Ritner, now living at North Platte, (1919) for her faith in the dairy of western Nebraska. This resource is yet in its infancy, but thirty-five years ago, Mrs. Helen Randall, widow of Ex-Governor Randall, now Mrs. Ritner, had about five hundred head of cattle, principally dairy stock, upon her ranch, on the north side of the North Platte river, between White Horse creek and the Birdwood.

BIG RANCHES ROUND ABOUT -- FIRST DRY FARMING AT BIG SPRINGS --

OTHER RANCHES ON LODGEPOLE -- NEWMAN LEADS THE TURKS --

THROUGH "JERUSALEM" -- WALRATH, FROM OX TEAM

TO AEROPLANE

One of the peerless cowmen of early years was David Rankin. Years ago he ran his ten thousand cattle on North and Middle Loup rivers, and at Seneca, in the midst of the majestic Sand Hills, he had his home ranch and range. His brands were Bar-7 and others.

This is a little out of the territory covered by my narrative, but so is Bent & Evans, later Nichols & Son, of the 96 brands, who ranged their six thousand cattle east of Fort McPherson and west of Plum Creek, and so is Biff's F L ranch on the South Platte river, where the pony express rider, Jim Moore, met his death. Iliff was called the Cattle King in his time. Burke Brothers, with the flat iron brand on three or four thousand cattle between North Platte and Fort McPherson, were not in the

Panhandle ; nor was C. W. Wright, now to be found about the Denver Club, who ranged his two or three thousand cattle branded D D on Brigadier creek, Bad Water and Poison Spider in Wyoming. All of these had scattering cattle in western Nebraska and they had representatives with the annual roundup, to accumulate these and return them to their own respective ranges.