(Sheep in pen with dogs and men behind them)
Sheep outnumbered the men and the dogs, but they could easily be herded toward the railroad cars waiting at the end of the pens once they were enclosed in these fences. This photo was taken in the early 1900s.
It was reported in “Montana: An Uncommon Land” by Kenneth Ross Toole, that in the early 1900's Montana led the nation in sheep production. The Montana sheep industry really started it's booming year in the late 1800's as many cattlemen, ruined by disastrous winter of 1886-1887 switched to sheep. The swift growth the sheep industry was almost as impressive as it's crash. In 1870, 3,000 sheep were reported in the territory, and within 10 years, 400,000 were reported. By 1900, there were 6 sheep for every head of cattle in Montana, for a total of 6 million sheep. Big operators would consider 50,000 sheep a “fair-sized bunch”.
But, by 1910 the great boom was over and the size of sheep bands were reduced drastically from 1910 onward.
Montana Historical Society Photo Archives #981-895
