Phillips County Museum News for Wednesday, October 5, 2022

It's roundup time in Montana and Phillips County. Roundups have been happening since before Montana became a state. I found Walt Coburns description of an early roundup at Sun Prairie interesting. This is his description. "When we came off a wide ridge with our cattle drive we could see a dozen other drives stringing in from bench lands and ridges, through draws and coulees, in bunches from fifty to a hundred head. It was like the spokes of a wheel centered to a large hub, the hub being the holdup ground on the level stretch of prairie. The walk-bawl of thousands of cattle spread its sound in all far-flung directions. Cowboys hollered back and forth and slapped quirts along their chaps. Clouds of alkali dust puffed up from the shuffling cloven hoofs. Weary horses, dried sweat coating their hides, traveled with slowed-down gait from the long morning circle. The faces and clothing of the riders were dirt grime. The cattle would be held in a large group with the "reps" cutting their cattle off into smaller herds." Although roundups may look different today many of the same traditions are carried out on ranches across Phillips County during the fall. For western history, the Museum is open M-Saturday 10-5.