The cattle trading firm of Hunter & Evans was one of the most influential companies in operation during the cattle boom of the late 1870s into the ’80s. Robert, William and David Hunter, partnered with Albert Evans, managed livestock commission houses in Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago. Their ranch operations stretched from Texas to Montana. They were leading members of the Comanche Cattle Pool, an association of the big cattle operations in Southern Kansas and Indian Territory.
In north-central Nebraska the Hunter brothers established the H3 Ranch along the picturesque Niobrara River. The youngest brother, David, managed the H3. His wife Margaret was his constant companion and later wrote of their experiences in an unpublished manuscript entitled “Conquering the West.”
In the fall of 1880, Margaret, her sister Mary and niece Floy prepared to return to their home in St. Louis, but a winter storm in October forced them to stay on the ranch.
That was “The Big Snow Winter” spoken of in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book “The Long Winter.” Her family was north of the H3 in South Dakota. Wilder described storm after storm coming so close on the heels of the previous storm that homesteaders ran out of wheat flour, normally ground at a commercial mill. To survive, they resorted to family coffee mills, barely keeping up with their needs. Prairie hay was twisted in tight bundles for fuel in place of wood and buffalo or cattle chips.
Mrs. Hunter recalled that it “…was a dreadfully hard winter on horses and cattle. The cattle would sometimes drift in the storm, right over the bank into the river. Hundreds lost their lives.”
The storms raged, but the Hunters, along with their cowboy crew, hunkered down and made the best of it. Their sitting room had a large fireplace and was usually comfortable. The cowboys stayed in a large room next to the sitting room that they called “The Corral.” Bunk beds were all around the walls and tables were set in the middle of the room.
David Hunter was called to St. Louis on important business he could not ignore. Therefore, in spite of the danger, he rode horseback 125 miles to Sidney, Neb., for a train ride to St. Louis.
At the H3, plans were being made to celebrate Christmas with as great of fanfare as their isolation would allow. A turkey and gifts were ordered from Sidney. Mrs. Hunter was anxiously awaiting her order of bright red kerchiefs she planned to give to each cowboy in the outfit. All the boys from the outlying camps were invited to spend a few days at the headquarters.
The Christmas tree was brought in the day before Christmas. Mrs. Hunter was surprised to see the transformation in the hard bitten cowboys that rode for the H3.
“To hear the conversation you would think many of the boys had never seen a Christmas tree before.”
To Mrs. Hunter’s dismay, husband David Hunter did not make it back to the H3 for Christmas, but the festive occasion produced very special memories for the entire outfit.
The boys were dressed in their best clothes and ready for any sport. A good deal of shooting was done just to celebrate. The table was beautifully decorated and Kirk, the cook, was in his glory. The table was laden with good things to eat. We were all seated at the table waiting for the turkey to be brought in. Finally, the time had come and Kirk placed it on the table with a grand flourish, waiting to see what effect the 23-pound turkey would have on the boys. He was satisfied when he saw their pleased smiles. Patsy (O’Conner) brought the laughs when he arose and made his best bow to the bird.
The evening was all too short for the boys, who were in for having a good time. They sang cowboy songs, some of them quite pathetic, others on the roving order. Kirk played the violin and the guitar. The presents on the tree were distributed.
“Sister and I received nice presents,” wrote Mrs. Hunter. “Frank Cross gave Mr. Hunter and me nice silver napkin rings which I still use. Floy was well remembered with books and toys. The boys, all decorated up with their new bright-colored kerchiefs, adjourned to the kitchen for a dance among themselves … That was a night long remembered.”
The days of the open range cowboy were nearly gone. Within a decade, the big ranches were gone and only memories remained of Christmas, cowboy style, on The Way West.

“The Cowboy” Jim Gray can be reached at 220 21st Rd., Geneseo, KS 67444, (785) 531-2058 or kansascowboy@kans.com.