In the spring of 1888, Colonel Braziel trailed his last large herd, which were fat cattle from Mitchell valley, and were taken to the Pine Ridge, or Spotted Tail agency. They were routed down the river through the granger settlements to Camp Clarke, and from there through the sandhills into Sheridan county.

After that year the roundup ceased to be an institution of great importance in this state, and those of farther west were never of the magnitude of these that swept across the vast pastures of western Nebraska.

In the middle eighties Doc. Middleton was a respectable cowpuncher working for Powers, on the Kingen ranch near the present site of Mitchell. But about that time he visited Sidney, and in a fight with two soldiers and John Barleycorn, there was a little case of homicide which started him, and it took Billy Likens and the majesty of the law to bring him back.

Leonard Harrison, late of the Driftwood and now of Gering valley; Hank Wise, the oneeyed cowpuncher; Al Stringfellow, Ad Carthage, and many of the other old boys were here ; and a larger number of them have gone "trailing on the Other Ranges."

In 1885 and 1886 the grangers came up the North river in long caravans. Among the earliest to arrive were the Rayburns, who settled in Horseshoe Bend, and the Ashfords, who located on Pumpkin creek near Wildcat mountain. Ida Rayburn and Gertrude Ashford were about the first eastern young ladies to arrive, and they became great chums, often visiting one another. That is how I first met Colonel Braziel. He had taken to heart the words written in those days, which ran as follows : :