In 1927, a collection of CM Russell’s short stories was published, called

Trails Plowed Under

. It has been out of print for years, but I have a copy that was given to my Great Grandfather by some family friends years ago.

This story, like others in the collection cut through the glamour of the old west that Hollywood has seen fit to bestow upon it.

Merry Christmas Here’s hoping you can be as grateful as the folks below…

A SAVAGE SANTA CLAUS

“Talkin’ about Christmas,” said Bedrock, as we smoked in his cabin after supper, an’ the wind howled as it sometimes can on a blizzardy December night, “puts me in mind of one I spent in the ’60s. Me an’ a feller named Jake Mason, but better knowed as Beaver, is trappin’ an’ prospectin’ on the head of the Porcupine. We’ve struck some placer, but she’s too cold to work her. The snow’s drove all the game out of the country, an’ barrin’ a few beans and some flour, we’re plum out of grub, so we decide we’d better pull our freight before we’re snowed in.

“The winter’s been pretty open till then, but the day we start there’s a storm breaks loose that skins everything I ever seed. It looks like the snow-maker’s been holdin’ back, an’ turned the whole winter supply loose at once. Cold? Well, it would make a polar bear hunt cover.

“About noon it lets up enough so we can see our pack-hosses. We’re joggin’ along at a good gait, when old Baldy, our lead packhoss, stops an’ swings ’round in the trail, bringin’ the other three to a stand. His whinner causes me to raise my head, an’ lookin’ under my hat brim, I’m plenty surprised to see an old log shack not ten feet to the side of the trail.”

“‘I guess we’d better take that cayuse’s advice,’ says Beaver, pintin’ to Baldy, who’s got his ears straightened, lookin’ at us as much as to say: ‘What, am I packin’ fer Pilgrims; or don’t you know enough to get in out of the weather? It looks like you’d loosen these packs.’ So, takin’ Baldy’s hunch, we unsaddle.

“This cabin’s mighty ancient. It’s been two rooms, but the ridge-pole on the rear one’s rotted an’ let the roof down. The door’s wide open an’ hangs on a wooden hinge. The animal smell I get on the inside tells me there ain’t no humans lived there for many’s the winter. The floor’s strewn with pine cones an’ a few scattered bones, showin’ it’s been the home of mountain-rats an’ squirrels. Takin’ it all ‘n all, it ain’t no palace, but, in this storm, it looks mighty snug, an’ when we get a blaze started in the fireplace an’ the beans goin’ it’s comfortable.

“The door to the back’s open, an’ by the light of the fire I can see the roof hangin’ down V-shaped, leavin’ quite a little space agin the wall. Once I had a notion of walkin’ in an’ prospectin’ the place, but there’s somethin’ ghostly about it an’ I change my mind.

“When we’re rollin’ in that night, Beaver asks me what day of the month it is.

“‘If I’m right on my dates,’ says I, ‘this is the evenin’ the kids hang up their socks.’

“The hell it is,’ says he. ‘Well, here’s one camp Santy’ll probably overlook. We ain’t got no socks nor no place to hang ‘em, an’ I don’t think the old boy’d savvy our foot-rags.’ That’s the last I remember till I’m waked up along in the night by somethin’ monkeyin’ with the kettle.

“If it wasn’t fer a snufflin’ noise I could hear, I’d a-tuk it fer a trade-rat, but with this noise it’s no guess with me, an’ I call the turn all right, ’cause when I take a peek, there, humped between me an’ the fire, is the most robust silvertip I ever see. In size, he resembles a load of hay. The fire’s down low, but there’s enough light to give me his outline. He’s humped over, busy with the beans, snifflin’ an’ whinin’ pleasant, like he enjoys ‘em. I nudged Beaver easy, an’ whispers: ‘Santy Claus is here.’

“He don’t need but one look. ‘Yes,’ says he, reachin’ for his Henry, ‘but he ain’t brought nothin’ but trouble, an’ more’n a sock full of that. You couldn’t crowd it into a wagon-box.’

“This whisperin’ disturbs Mr. Bear, an’ he straightens up till he near touches the ridge-pole. He looks eight feet tall. Am I scared? Well, I’d tell a man. By the feelin’ runnin’ up and down my back, if I had bristles I’d resemble a wild hog. The cold sweat’s drippin’ off my nose, an’ I ain’t got nothin’ on me but sluice-ice.

“The bark of Beaver’s Henry brings me out of this scare. The bear goes over, upsettin’ a kettle of water, puttin’ the fire out. If it wasn’t for a stream of fire runnin’ from Beaver’s weapon, we’d be in plumb darkness. The bear’s up agin, bellerin’ an’ bawlin’, and comin’ at us mighty warlike, and by the time I get my Sharps workin’, I’m near choked with smoke. It’s the noisiest muss I was ever mixed up in. Between the smoke, the barkin’ of the guns an’ the bellerin’ of the bear, it’s like hell on a holiday.”

“I’m gropin’ for another ca’tridge when I hear the lock on Beaver’s gun click, an’ I know his magazine’s dry. Lowerin’ my hot gun, I listen. Everythin’s quiet now. In the sudden stillness I can hear the drippin’ of blood. It’s the bear’s life runnin’ out.

“‘I guess it’s all over,’ says Beaver, kind of shaky. ‘It was a short fight, but a fast one, an’ hell was poppin’ while she lasted.’

“When we get the fire lit, we take a look at the battle ground. There lays Mr. Bear in a ring of blood, with a hide so full of holes he wouldn’t hold hay. I don’t think there’s a bullet went ’round him.

“This excitement wakens us so we don’t sleep no more that night. We breakfast on bear meat. He’s an old bear an’ it’s pretty stout, but a feller livin’ on beans and bannocks straight for a couple of weeks don’t kick much on flavor, an’ we’re at a stage where meat’s meat.

“When it comes day, me an’ Beaver goes lookin’ over the bear’s bedroom. You know, daylight drives away ha’nts, an’ this room don’t look near so ghostly as it did last night. After winnin’ this fight, we’re both mighty brave. The roof caved in with four or five feet of snow on, makes the rear room still dark, so, lightin’ a pitch-pine glow, we start explorin’.

“The first thing we bump into is the bear’s bunk. There’s a rusty pick layin’ up against the wall, an’ a gold-pan on the floor, showin’ us that the human that lived there was a miner. On the other side of the shack we ran onto a pole bunk, with a weather-wrinkled buffalo robe an’ some rotten blankets. The way the roof slants, we can’t see into the bed, but by usin’ an axe an’ choppin’ the legs off, we lower it to view. When Beaver raises the light, there’s the frame-work of a man. He’s layin’ on his left side, like he’s sleepin’, an’ looks like he cashed in easy. Across the bunk, under his head, is an old-fashioned cap-’n-ball rifle. On the bedpost hangs a powder horn an’ pouch, with a belt an’ skinnin’ knife. These things tell us that this man’s a pretty old-timer.

“Findin’ the pick an’ gold-pan causes us to look more careful for what he’d been diggin’. We explore the bunk from top to bottom, but nary a find. All day long we prospects. That evenin’, when we’re fillin’ up on bear meat, beans and bannocks, Beaver says he’s goin’ to go through the bear’s bunk; so, after we smoke, relightin’ our torches, we start our search again.

“Sizin’ up the bear’s nest, we see he’d laid there quite a while. It looks like Mr. Silvertip, when the weather gets cold, starts huntin’ a winter location for his long snooze. Runnin’ onto this cabin, vacant, and lookin’ like it’s for rent, he jumps the claim an’ would have been snoozin’ there yet, but our fire warmin’ up the place fools him. He thinks it’s spring an’ steps out to look at the weather. On the way he strikes this breakfast of beans, an’ they hold him till we object.

“We’re lookin’ over this nest when somethin’ catches my eye on the edge of the waller. It’s a hole, roofed over with willers.

“‘Well, I’ll be damned. There’s his cache,’ says Beaver, whose eyes has follered mine. It don’t take a minute to kick these willers loose, an’ there lays a buckskin sack with five hundred dollars in dust in it.

“Old Santy Claus, out there,’ says Beaver, pointin’ to the bear through the door, ‘didn’t load our socks, but he brought plenty of meat an’ showed us the cache, for we’d never a-found it if he hadn’t raised the lid.’

“The day after Christmas we buried the bones, wrapped in one of our blankets, where we’d found the cache. It was the best we could do.

“I guess the dust’s ours,’ says Beaver. ‘There’s no papers to show who’s his kin-folks.’ So we splits the pile an’ leaves him sleepin’ in the tomb he built for himself.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilyi3UGDrqE

It was an epic hunt to be sure. More than words can express. I’ve put together a slide show with music by Dave Stamey to give an idea of what all went into this Adventure.

We had mild weather to start that changed to a nasty snowstorm that we had to pack camp out in. We were 11 miles from the ranch with 7 of us in camp.

DAY 1
We (Tony, Dad, Colby and I) packed in Camp on Five packhorses. 11 miles. Elk bugled us to sleep.

DAY 2
Colby and I rode out with the five horses to bring in the three Morris boys (Dee and Sons Matt and Jase- short for James Thomas) 11 miles.

DAY 3
Packed 3 horses and the Morris’s rode 3 into camp. 11 miles. The elk serenaded us again.

DAY 4
We hunted. Covered 15.25 miles on horseback.
Chased a bugling bull in the evening that another group of hunters bumped before I could get in sight of the bull and his cows.
Matt Morris killed a bull this night, a nice 5x6.

DAY 5
Went to the other side of the basin before daylight. Tied the horses and hiked in ½ mile where a cow elk barked at us. I answered with a cow call and hunkered down.
As shooting light came we could make out the cow who was boring holes in us with her eyes trying to see what we were. The bull stepped out of the rocks and trees at 30 yards. I saw branch antlers, put the crosshairs behind the shoulder and fired.
The muzzle flash blinded me. The bull was dead 150 yards away with a double lung shot from my .300 Win Mag.
Dad brought the saddle horses and we quartered and packed the bull back to camp before Colby and Tony got out to pack in Matt’s bull from the night before. We covered 5 miles that morning. We spent the midday Fishing.

I accompanied Dad and Colby on an evening hunt in the rain for another 4 miles. (9 for the day)
Jase shot a bull that night. Another 5x6.

DAY 6
Matt and I packed out our bulls with 4 pack horses to the ranch 11 miles.

DAY 7
Matt and I packed feed back into camp on 3 pack horses. 11 miles .

DAY 8
We packed the Morris’s and Tony out to the ranch along with Jases bull. 11 miles. Weather was getting colder and the clouds were stacking up. Dad Missed a bull that morning.

DAY 9
We (Colby Dad and I) rode back into camp with 6 empty horses as the rain became snow. 11 miles

DAY 10
Woke up to 18 inches of snow in camp. Collapsed Tony’s tent and the canopy over the kitchen area. We packed all of camp onto 5 horses and put an extra riding saddle on horse #6. Left Camp at 11:30 am and arrived back at the Ranch around 3:00 pm to everyone’s relief.

Total Mileage for the 10 days…112.25 miles

40 head of corriente steers and Texas longhorns paraded through Downtown Santa Rosa with onlookers packing the sidewalks to catch a glimpse of what many of us rural folks take for granted.

Below is a video of the procession.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG2pNhg3LGo

The next morning we woke with the sun.  Our horses were where we tied them, so we took them for another drink, and a nosebag full of pellets.  I noticed the cinch had irritated Shorty’s “armpits” so I rigged my latigo to pull it back and away from the area that was chafed.  We had a breakfast of oatmeal and coffee and headed back out on the trail to explore some more.

Here on top we encountered more snow on the north facing slopes, and it presented some challenging detours.  See the video beyond the jump for examples.  

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlVgV4Ji1As

But we were able to get into more of the mountain lake and mountain meadow type habitat that we wanted to see.  Evidence of big game was still only tracks, but it was plentiful.  Now in more open country we began looking for vistas that would give us a chance to spot game.  The few high spots were usually granite domes sticking up above the tree tops.  It took some careful navigation to find a route to get on top of these, and most required some hiking on foot.

Bonneville peak in the middle of the Wind River Range

We rode as far as we dared busting through more and more snow.  Around noon we stopped and fixed another hot lunch, as the Winds tempted us on the horizon.  I had told my wife and family we would return to the ranch by 6:00 pm that night.  As much as I wanted to push through the snow and sit in the lap of Bonneville Basin, I knew it would throw us off schedule, so we pointed the horses towards home and they followed their backtrack like a coonhound on a hot scent.

On our way back we met the GROW Summer Camp group, fishing at one of the many high mountain lakes.  We talked for awhile with Jim Ligori, the executive director of the Green River Outreach for Wilderness, as our horses munched green grass to fill their drawn up sides.   They had come up with a string of riding and pack horses, and would be spending another couple nights up in the high country.  We gave him our trail report of the country we had been through, and we strategized for the Fall.   a quick check of the watch told us we would need to get moving if we wanted to make our dinner date back at the ranch, so we bid him and the campers fare well and began the three and a half mile ride back to the ranch.

The eight miles back was familiar trail and my GPS records showed our pace increased as we got closer to home.  We made it back in just over three hours with some stretches had our horses hitting 3.8 mph at a walk.  Of course the 2000 ft loss in elevation helped too.

We arrived back as my wife and mother were preparing to go out for a ride of their own, with Kay Morris and Debbie, the cook.  with all the Campers on the pack trip, they now had a chance to relax themselves.  Natalie put them on Snoopy and her steady mare Candy, and saddled up a green “guide horse” and the four of them had a leisurely evening ride, while Dad and I enjoyed a cold beer at the trailer. We had traveled 16 miles  that day on horseback and sitting in a campc hair felt pretty good.

We dined that night on an assortment of quesadillas with steak, chicken and pulled pork.  It would be the last night in Wyoming for Natalie, myself and our two youngest kids.  My parents would keep Erin, our oldest, and attend the Green River Rendezvous as we drove the two days back through Utah and Nevada.

While watching fireworks the night before, my father and I planned our trip for the next morning into the Bridger Wilderness.  We wanted to get in farther than I had on my day ride.  We also wanted to check out an approach to a different way into the wilderness, and assess which way would put us in Elk country the most efficiently.

We packed just what we could carry on horseback.   My list of what I carried in my saddlebags

was basic but essential.

• Rain gear, the new Kuiu Chugach rain pants and jacket.
• Under Armor cold gear tops and bottoms
• Pair of wool socks
• Filson Wool Shirt
• Poly fleece vest
• 1 pair lightweight synthetic pants with zipoff legs
• Jetboil stove
• 30 degree Western Mountaineering Long Sleeping bag
• Ti-Goat Ptarmigan Bivy
• 2 Mountain house  Dehydrated meals
• 2 Packets of Oatmeal
• drink powders, and instant coffee
• Ti spork
• MSR water filter

Since there have been no new cases of the Neurologic form of EHV-1 Wyoming lengthened their 72 hour health certificate require ment to 30 Days. This means you don’t have to get your healt h certificate RIGHT before you haul a horse..

Horses entering Wyoming 30 Day Health’s
The Wyoming Livestock Board (WLSB) has determined that the risk of non-resident horses exposed to
EHV-1 neuropathogenic disease and entering into Wyoming has receded. Effective immediately,
Wyoming is rescinding their requirement for all horses entering the State to have an official health
certificate issued within 72 hours of importation, and the horse’s temperature recorded on the
certificate.
Horses entering Wyoming are now required to have an official health certificate issued within the past
30 days. Results of a negative test for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) completed within the past 12
months must be recorded on the health certificate by the accredited veterinarian completing the health
papers. No additional statements are required.
For further questions or information, please contact the WLSB office @ (307) 777-7515.

( Note: The next update will be Monday June 6, 2011)

California has two (2) new confirmed case of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) caused by EHV-1. The total is now 22 confirmed EHV-1/ EHM cases in the state. The two new confirmed positive horses, located on the same premises, were exposed to a previously confirmed positive Ogden, UT participant.

The positive confirmed cases are located in the following 13 counties: Amador(1), Colusa(1), Glenn(5), Kern(2), Los Angeles(1), Marin(1), Napa(1), Placer (3), Plumas(1), Sacramento (1), Shasta(1), Stanislaus(3) and Ventura(1).
Sixteen(16) of the confirmed positive EHV-1/EHM CA cases participated in the National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah.
Two (2) of the confirmed positive EHV-1/ EHM CA cases participated only in the Kern County Cutting Horse Event on May 13th in Bakersfield, CA.
Four (4) of the confirmed positive EHV-1/EHM CA cases were exposed horses to an Ogden, UT participant.
Two (2) confirmed positive EHM horses were euthanized after showing severe neurological signs associated with EHM.
All positive confirmed EHV-1/EHM cases are under a State Quarantine.

From the California Department of Food and Agriculture:

California has no new confirmed case of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) caused by EHV-1. There are a total of 20 confirmed EHV-1/ EHM cases in the state. The last confirmed case was on May 31, 2011.

The positive confirmed cases are located in the following 13 counties: Amador(1), Colusa(1), Glenn(3), Kern(2), Los Angeles(1), Marin(1), Napa(1), Placer (3), Plumas(1), Sacramento (1), Shasta(1), Stanislaus(3) and Ventura(1).
Sixteen(16) of the confirmed positive EHV-1/EHM CA cases participated in the National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah.
Two (2) of the confirmed positive EHV-1/ EHM CA cases participated only in the Kern County Cutting Horse Event on May 13th in Bakersfield, CA.
Two (2) of the confirmed positive EHV-1/EHM CA cases were exposed horses to an Ogden, UT participant.
Two (2) confirmed positive EHM horses were euthanized after showing severe neurological signs associated with EHM.
All positive confirmed EHV-1/EHM cases are under a State Quarantine.
Recommendations for EXPOSED HORSES

Disease reports in California continue to be limited to horses exhibited at the National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National Championships (NCHA) held at the Golden Spike Event Center in Ogden, Utah from April 30th to May 8, 2011 and the Kern County Cutting Event in Bakersfield, CA on May 13, 2011 or exposed to horses participating in these events. CDFA has quarantined all infected horses and continues to advise that horses returning from those events and horses that have subsequently come into contact with returning horses avoid moving from their home premises until California has gone 14 days without a new case of EHV-1/EHM.

Recommendations for Horse Show/Event Managers Regarding EHV-1 Biosecurity Procedures

(These biosecurity guidelines have been developed, based on currently available information, by CDFA veterinarians and the faculty at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, to minimize the risk of transmission of infectious diseases at public equestrian events. If the situation changes, these and other guidelines will be modified as appropriate.)
When the current EHV-1 outbreak began, horse owners were initially advised to avoid nonessential transport of their animals to reduce the risk of exposure to, or spread of the virus among, the horse population. Now that we have obtained more information through ongoing testing, reporting and monitoring, we have concluded that the EHV-1 infection outbreak is centered around horses that were present at the National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National Championships (NCHA) held at the Golden Spike Event Center in Ogden, Utah from April 30th to May 8th. and/or the Kern County Cutting Event in Bakersfield, CA on May 13th. This includes cutting horses that did not attend either of the above events but have subsequently come into contact with horses returning from those events.
Based on what is known today, we are suggesting that managers of horse shows or events occurring in California during the coming weeks incorporate the following biosecurity measures to minimize the risk for all participants:

Event managers should create a short document for participants to sign upon arrival at the show grounds to confirm that their horses, mules, and burros attending the show/event have not attended or had prior contact with horses from the NCHA Championships in Ogden, Utah and/or the Kern County Cutting Event in Bakersfield, CA, or been on the same premises with horses that have returned from these events. Horses that have attended, or been exposed to horses returning from either event will not be allowed to enter the show grounds.
Establish a “No Fever” policy for horses attending the event. Give the participants prior notice of the new “No Fever” policy before they arrive at the show grounds. Provide instructions for obtaining the horse’s temperature and an index card on which to record temperature readings for each horse.
a. All horses will have temperatures taken twice daily and results will be posted on front of the stall/pen for inspection.
b. Any horse will be subject to random temperature check by the show veterinarian or designated member of the veterinary staff during the event.
c. Any horse with a fever of 102°F or greater will be removed from the event and premises immediately (i.e. within 2 hours of detection of fever).
d. If the owner cannot move the horse off the premises, a professional horse hauler contracted by the event will remove the horse to a designated isolation area at the owner’s expense.
It is understood that some (most) horses with a fever will not have EHV-1; however, in the interest of conducting a safe event under the current circumstances, the no fever policy will be enforced. If you do not wish to comply with these safety measures please do not attend the event.

California has one new confirmed case of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) caused by EHV-1. There are 16 confirmed EHM cases in the state.

The positive confirmed cases are located in the following 11 counties: Amador(1), Glenn(2), Kern(2), Los Angeles(1), Marin(1), Napa(1), Placer (2), Plumas(1), Shasta(1), Stanislaus(3), Ventura(1).

Fifteen(15) of the confirmed positive EHM CA cases participated in the National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah.

One(1) of the confirmed positive EHM CA cases participated only in the Kern County Cutting Horse Event on May 13th in Bakersfield, CA.
One confirmed positive EHM horse was euthanized after showing severe neurological signs associated with EHM.

Two confirmed positive EHM horses are being treated at the University of California Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in Davis.
Six positive horses have displayed neurological signs. The other cases have only been febrile.

All positive confirmed EHM cases are under a State Quarantine.
A suspect case of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) was investigated by Animal Health Branch veterinarians. This mare did not participate in the National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National championships in Ogden, Utah from April 30 – May 8, 2011, nor did she participate in the Kern County Cutting Horse Event on May 13th. This mare did participate in the Rancheros Vistadores ride in Santa Ynez, CA from May 5 – 12, 2011. This mare is exhibiting neurological signs compatible with a number of equine diseases or conditions. Three sets of nasal swabs and blood testing on this mare indicate she is negative for the mutant strain of EHV-1 that causes EHM and she is positive for the common strain of EHV-1 that most commonly causes respiratory signs but may also cause neurological signs in a low percentage of these cases. These findings indicate this mare is not associated with the ongoing EHM outbreak. This mare is quarantined, isolated and continues to receive intensive supportive treatment at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in Davis as the veterinarians continue consideration of other differential diagnoses.

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Livestock Board has clarified its new order requiring that all horses entering the state be inspected by a veterinarian.

The agency says horses must be inspected 72 hours before entering Wyoming, effective Thursday. The 72-hour window is different from what the agency said on Wednesday, when it said horses had to be inspected within 72 hours of entering the state.

The inspections were ordered in response to a fatal virus that’s infected horses in some Western states but not in Wyoming.

The order will be in effect until it is rescinded by the state veterinarian.

Equine herpes virus-1 is easily spread because it can be airborne and transmitted by touch or through sharing brushes, bits or other equipment. It doesn’t pose a risk to humans.

The Pueblo Chieftain Reports:

 There are now eight confirmed cases of equine herpes virus in Colorado, including two horses that had to be euthanized, and 22 suspected cases, the Colorado Department of Agriculture said Thursday.
Ten quarantine orders also have been issued in six counties: Bent, Boulder, Larimer, Mesa, Morgan and Weld.
“Protecting Colorado’s horse industry is our utmost concern right now and we are continuing to work with horse owners and veterinarians to contain this disease,” said State Veterinarian Dr. Keith Roehr. “While the number of confirmed cases continue to increase, we are encouraged by the number of horse owners who have contacted us and are being proactive about disease control practices on their farms and ranches.”
Colorado State Fair organizers have voluntarily canceled three horse events in Pueblo.
“We decided to reschedule these events to limit the number of horses traveling to and from our fairgrounds,” said State Fair General Manager Chris Wiseman. “Our horse shows are important to the fair and to Colorado as a whole and we want to be proactive in protecting our horse community.”
The canceled events include the Zamora Roping originally scheduled for May 20-22, the Mounted Shooting Regional originally scheduled May 27-30 and the Sagebrush Slide Cow Horse Show that was set for June 1-5.

Horse owners who want to transport their animals are being advised to call their veterinarian, who will have to request a permit number for the horse’s health certificate, already required for entry.

Authorities said Wednesday at least 18 horses in Idaho, Utah, Colorado, California, Washington and Canada have been infected with the virus and at least three have died.