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| This is a photo of the Bar T Ranch, circa 1878, courtesy of the Pioneer Museum in Hot Springs. The ranch will be one of the presentations during the Fall River History Conference, Jan. 10 at the Mueller Civic Center. Contributed |
Bar T Ranch mirrors history of Fall River County
One hundred and thirty years ago the area of Fall River County was largely unsettled, “…one of the last places for people to come,” according to long time county resident, Barbara Landers. Landers is a scheduled presenter for a session of the “Focus on Fall River History Conference,” to be held Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Mueller Center in Hot Springs. She will be telling the story of one of the earliest ranches, the Bar T Ranch and the 1878 building of its historic barn. The barn was built just two years after the infamous Battle of Little Big Horn and 12 years before the Massacre of Wounded Knee.The first Landers family joined the neighborhood in 1885. Today Tom and Barbara Landers still live on the ranch adjoining the Bar T.Conference attendees will hear details of the establishment of the Bar T Ranch and gain a sense of the challenges faced by early pioneers. Barbara notes that those first settlers had “nobody to learn from…they had to invent how to use the resources at hand.” She also said it shows us “how little people really need to get by.” Having lived “here” most of her life she said she finds it “amazing how people found a use for what was there…everything used, no waste.” Barbara says in those earliest times it was “mostly a man’s world, with not many women.”At the time of the founding of the Bar T Ranch, all critical supplies and even mail had to be obtained at Cheyenne, Wyo., a two-week trip by mule team. A few years later, with the founding of Hot Springs, those ranchers would gain the luxury of a short over-night trip to get essential supplies. The town of Cascade, at about the half-way point, would become a convenient stopping place for lunch.The Bar T Ranch presentation is but one of several sessions of the upcoming history conference. Registration details can be found online at www.pioneer-museum.com or at the Hot Springs Library. If you have additional questions call Dawn Johnson, 745-5138. Save $10 by registering early. Fees are: adult $30 (includes meal) and student $15. Walk-ins without pre-registration will pay $40 admission.