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Show ATEM'S OF LTAH'S PAST FROAI THE Utah State Historical Society 300 Rio Grande Salt Lake City. LTT 84101 ( 801) 533- 3500 FAX ( 801) 533- 3503 When the Wolves Seemed to Be Taking Over Randolph, Utah AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY GRAY, W OLVES INVADED-- RANDOLPHU, T AH, in an expansive migration to the Bear River country. Ranchers and hunters joined in a battle against the gray wolf that continued for some fifteen years. Those who experienced the " wolf years" in Randolph left lasting records about sharing the land with- the wolves. Wolves constantly threatened livestock throughout the period. Kathleen Rex Thorncock recorded that in 1908 her brothers purchased the Ford Ranch, several miles east of Randolph at the foot of Crawford Mountain. Since wolves often attack livestock at night, the two men had to night-herd the stock. They continued this practice until Christmas Eve when both brothers attended a local dance. Upon returning to the ranch they met a pack of eight wolves stalking the livestock. They spent the night chasing the wolves on horseback. By morning they had trapped six wolves, some over six feet long. Wolf attacks also threatened the Jones Ranch. Every year Rosetta Jones accompanied her father to manage a sheep and livestock camp near the Bear River. Along with her daily chores of cutting river ice to make water for the horses and cattle, chopping willow shoots into small pieces to feed to the livestock, and cooking, she was responsible for setting the wolf traps in the evening. At night Rose would sleep while her father guarded the camp. She recorded that she lay awake many nights worrying about the safety of her father. She always got " gooseflesh" when she heard the howl of the wolves get closer and closer to camp. Those who were children during the " wolf years" had their own memories of meeting the predators. Myrtle Rex recorded that as she and her brother Elden rode to school from the Rex Brothers Ranch in 1910 they would often see a pack of wolves crossing the fields as they approached the foot of Crawford Mountain. Even if they were far in the distance, Myrtle Rex noted, the horse would stop until the wolves had crossed the road and gone out of sight. The children had their own way of communicating with the mysterious wolves. When they received a toy horn for Christmas in 1910, they stood on the porch and blew it, listening for the wolves to howl back. Fred Feller first encountered wolves as a young boy in 1908. His mother had sent him to deliver a message to Mrs. Jensen, a neighbor who lived a mile away. When he arrived at the home, he saw her standing on the porch with a gun in her hand. She had shot a wolf that was stalking in her yard. As he grew older, Feller became the one who shot the wolves. At the age of 16 he was honored in a small western newspaper as a boy hunter in northern Utah who had earned $ 1,070 in bounties for killing wolves and coyotes. In the article he explained the benefits of ( more) trapping: ' Ranchers should trap to destroy pests and can make money at the same time." He later recalled that he had killed 30 wolves, 5 in 19 17, and as a government trapper had killed more than 1,200 coyotes* C From 1900 to 1915 Rich County was one of the leading regions in the fur market. The cold temperatures made the furs thick and healthy. Like Fred Feller, many Randolph residents hunted wolves both to help the ranchers and to earn some extra money on the side. Wolf pelts sold for $ 15 to $ 20, depending on the size and quality. Some lucky hunters earned even more money for the pelts. J. 0. Rex, owner of the Rex Brothers Ranch, caught his last wolf in 1917. He called the catch his "$ 72 wolf, " since the county paid him $ 25 in bounty, the Cattlemen's Association paid $ 25, and he sold the pelt for $ 22. After fifteen years of fighting, Randolph residents won the battle against the wolves in Rich County. Livestock patrols and excessive hunting greatly reduced the gray wolf population in the region. The remaining wolves, threatened by possible extinction, migrated northward into less hostile environments. Townspeople were left only with memories- and stories of the famous ' wolf years" in Randolph. See Mildred Hatch Thompson, comp., Rich Memories ( Rich County: DUP, 1962); Steven Thomson et al., comps., RandoZph- A Look Back ( Randolph, Utah, 198 1). THEI STBLOAZERRis prYoduc ed by the Utah State Historical Society and funded in part by a grant from the Utah Statehood Centennial Commission. For more information about the Historical Society telephone 533- 3500. |
