The adventure begins!

From Della Kurtz's Diary:

August 12, 1913--Tuesday:  The party left the Kurtz ranch, better known as the "Hard Scramble Ranch" at 7 AM with 1 chuck wagon, 1 spring wagon, 1 carriage and 4 saddle horses.  We arrived at Selway Sheep Camp at 1:00 PM, 26 miles from the starting point.  Camped here over night.  Lulu Kurtz fell in the mud.  I tried to jump over ditch and most fell in also.  Everyone getting a good dose of sunburn.  Took pictures of boys, Mother and Bertha.  Everybody happy and to bed early on the ground. 

(Notes from Sydney:  I wonder if it the Oliver Kurtz Ranch was called "Hard Scrapple Ranch".) 

The party consisted of Oliver Kurtz, his wife Bertha, their three sons; Oliver Jr., Norman and Lester (all these boys under 12 years of age), Oliver Sr's mother, Mary and his two sisters Lulu and Della Kurtz of Pennsylvania.  Also his brother Jim Kurtz of Dillon, Jack Shaffner of Glen Ullen, North Dakota, Mabel Phillips, Ethel O'Leary, Jack Clay, George Collins all of Dillon and W. D. Sandy of the P & O Ranch of Beaverhead County.

When this story was transcribed in 1962, Six members of this party were still living.  Norman, Oliver Jr., Lester, Jim Kurtz and his wife wife Mabel and Jack Shaffner. 

Oliver Jr., Lulu, Jack, John, Mabel and P & O Cowboy

 

What a crew! 

Love the chaps!

 

 

Ollie Kurtz (Oliver Jr.) recollections:  W. D. Sandy was working at the P & O cow camp, but the next morning he took some saddle horses and that morning before we left there the cowboys put on quite a rodeo show for all of us.  The next day about 10:00 Sandy and a few of the boys went to a sheep camp and Sandy roped a sheep and brought it to where we were stopped along side of the of the road.  Later the herder came down to where we were stopped.  He looks us all over good, then went back up the hill.  It frightened Mother because she thought the boys had stolen the sheep.  All the rest of the day Mother kept looking back to see if they were being followed by the law.  Then a few days later, they told her Sandy talked to the herder a few hours before they went and got the sheep.  Anyway, he put on quite a show for the people from the east.