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<br />26 HISTORY OF CONSERVATION IN THE MISSOURI VALLEY
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<br />One convention stood for large scale cattle production, the
<br />other introduced large scale' farming, ideas in direct contrast
<br />and antagonistic to each other. The competition in Denver that
<br />day for temporal popularity was indicative of the competition
<br />between these two industries during the half century that fol-
<br />lowed, a half century that saw the terrible collapse of both of
<br />these great agricultural industries because of selfish over-expan-
<br />sion and blind careless disregard of conservation precautions.
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<br />This chapter deals with the birth, development, mistakes
<br />and hardships of the stock industry as it is known in the western
<br />part of the Missouri River Valley.
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<br />Long before the cowboy and his chuck wagon, came a
<br />swarm of trappers and Indian fur traders. They came as a cruel
<br />merciless army organized by the great fur syndicates. Then
<br />appeared hungry railroad crews with the foraging supply camps
<br />of the expanding railroads. Then came homestead settlers and
<br />hordes of miners crossing the valley to the golden Pacific. Soon
<br />the game was gone. The fur animals, including the precious
<br />'beaver, were no more and the plains shown white in the moon-
<br />light with the' skeletons of bison.
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<br />Into this vacant Eden, this free promised land of grass, cattle
<br />gradually filtered from the thickly settled east. Then appeared
<br />the vast herds of longhorns from Oklahoma and Texas, long-
<br />horns almost as wild as the bison that had prospered and multi-
<br />plied for centuries on the rich perennial grass. The movement
<br />northward of these long-horned cattle was none the less spec-
<br />tacular than the dramatic passing of the baffalo.
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<br />If an author wished to write of adventure, this period in
<br />American history offers abundant material. If a writer chose
<br />as his subject, frenzied finance, exorbitant profits, shoe string
<br />investments, boom and bust, it is here. If, perchance, a writer
<br />wished to commend big business for the very large part it has
<br />played in making this nation prosperous, strong and great, and
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