Perhaps I am repeating some parts but some odd snippets you may not have or know.
Things certainly weren't easy for the early pioneers who settled in the West. Winters were cold in drafty cabins;
transportation was limited to horses or walking. Indians still inhabited some areas; and money was often scarce.
The early settlers had to have a great deal of determination. And such was the case of William Skelton.
Skelton was born in England in 1850 and immigrated to the United States when he was 16 years old. He soon decided to head west and eventually ended up in Montana with the dream of "striking it rich.
In addition to mining, he trapped wolves in many areas including Snowy Mountains, the Arrow Creek breaks and
the Little Belt Mountain.
Mr. Skelton moved to Judith Basin County in the late 1870's. He settled on Wolf Creek where the
headquarters of a grandson are presently located. In 1879, he married Vaitlain Vann, and they raised 11 children.
When Skelton first arrived, the Homestead Act had not been enforced. Land was acquired by preemption, which
simply required shaping and placing logs, which were to serve as a foundation for a settler's home. Like many
others Mr. Skelton acquired additional land by constructing log cabins on other sites. It is estimated that with
each preemption, the settler would acquire about 40 to 60 acres. Through preemption and purchases.William Skelton built up a sizeable ranch.
William Skelton raised cattle and horses; but also had sheep at one time. Much of the Judith Basin was open range then, with fences few and far between. Large herds of cattle were run on the open range. Much of the meat was sold to area miners, loggers and other homesteaders. Large roundups were held and the cattle were driven to shipping points. " In the early years, Culbertson, MT was considered to be a cow capital because it was the end of the railroad line. Cattle from this area were sometimes driven to Culberton, where they were shipped on the railroad."
Ranching was not a lucrative business in those days; and William Skelton relied on other means to put bread on
the table. He continued to work at several mines, and trapped wolves.
William Skelton was the subject of Charlie Russell painting "The First Furrow", which pictured him farming on the
ranch where the last Judith Basin roundup corrals were located, just south of Stanford. William Skelton received
the original painting. But when he children got "The Fever" he had no way to pay the doctor; and traded the
painting for the doctor bill. Three of Skelton's children died from the illness.
Several of Skelton's sons are portrayed in another Russell painting. "In Without Knocking" This painting shows
several Wild West cowboys riding their horses into a bar.
William Skelton's home also served as mail distributing point in the early days. "Mail was delivered to the ranch before they had the Post Office in Stanford." They would lay the mail on the kitchen table, and his
wife would sort it. She even read letters for a few of those who were unable to read."
Stanford Bay Skelton spent several years in Hollywood as a cowboy stuntman. Stanford Bay eventually returned to take over William Skelton's ranch.
William Skelton died in 1943, but many signs of his presence still remain on the ranch.
Several of the century-old buildings constructed by William Skelton, including his original log house, which
served as a delivery point for mail, are still standing.
