Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 February 1893 — OREGON’S WILD CATTLE. [ARTICLE]

OREGON’S WILD CATTLE.

Herds That Have Grown Up as the Progeny of Estrays. • It is not generally known that in several localities in this State, says the Snohomish Sun, there are animals running wild which have descended from domestic ancestors. In Paoific, Chehalis, and Mason counties there is a remnant of a herd of wild eattle which have reamed the woods and over the prairies of that, Kortion of the State for years. [any years ago a military post was maintained on Gray’s harbor, and adjacent to this post was a large amount of cleared land, which was cultivated by the soldiers as farms. The troops owned a large number of cattle, which pastured on part of the garrison ranch. The post was suddenly abandoned for. some reason and the soldiers found it impossible to drive the cattle with them. They were left in the pasture adjoining the fort and were uncared for. There were no settlements—or next to none—on the harbor or in Chehalis valley at that time, consequently the cattle roamed undisturbed where they pleased. In otwithstand ing the scanty fare which they often found and the. depredations of the black wolves that then infested the woods along the coast the cattle increased In numbers very rapidly and proved a source of constant annoyance to early settlers. Pences were broken down and crops destroyed and tame animals coaxed off to the woods. Many of the animals were killed by parties organized to exterminate "them and the remainder of the herd has been driven well up into the skirts of the Olympics and into the boast range east and south of Gray’s harbor.