the lands. In this way the cattlemen became possessed of enormous
areas; and to-day these tracts thus gotten by fraud are securely held
intact, forming what may be called great estates, for on many of them
live the owners in expansive baronial style.

In numerous instances, law was entirely dispensed with. Vast tracts
of land were boldly appropriated by sheep and cattle rangers who had
not even a pretense of title. Enclosing these lands with fences, the
rangers claimed them as their own, and hired armed guards to drive
off intruders, and kill if necessary. [Footnote: "Within the cattle
region," reported Commissioner Sparks, "it is notorious that actual
settlements are generally prevented and made practically impossible
outside the proximity of towns, through the unlawful control of the
country, maintained by cattle companies."--U. S. Senate Docs., 1885-
86, Vol. viii, No. 134:4 and 5.

Acting Commissioner Harrison of the General Land Office, reporting on
March 14, 1884, to Secretary of the Interior Teller, showed in detail
the vast extent of the unlawful fencing of public lands. In the
Arkansas Valley in Colorado at least 1,000,000 acres of public domain
were illegally seized. The Prairie Cattle Company, composed of Scotch
capitalists, had fenced in more than a million acres in Colorado, and
a large number of other cattle companies in Colorado had seized areas
ranging from 20,000 to 200,000 acres. "In Kansas," Harrison went on,
"entire counties are reported as [illegally] fenced. In Wyoming, one
hundred and twenty-five cattle companies are reported having fencing
on the public lands. Among the companies and persons reported as
having 'immense' or 'very large' areas inclosed . . . are the
Dubuque, Cimarron and Renello Cattle [companies] in Colorado; the
Marquis de Morales in Colorado; the Wyoming Cattle Company (Scotch)