B. Snipes, Indian cowboys, & CJ in central WA

[Dave Robertson]

http://www.ellensburg-wa.com/community/history/cattleking.html


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                         Ben Snipes Showed the Way with Cattle

    Cattle Branded with a big "S" on the left side were as familiar to Central Washington settlers as
    the mountains. The "S" cattle roamed at will on the ranges of Klickitat, Benton, Yakima, Kittitas,
    Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, and Adams counties.

    Ben Snipes first became interested in raising cattle after he left Iowa in 1853 to join the California
    gold rush. While in Oregon, a few years after the rush, he met John Jeffries. Jeffries was buying
    cattle in the Willamette Valley and driving them to the Cariboo mines in British Columbia, where
    beef sold, at times, for one dollar a pound. Jeffries' enthusiasm for cattle raising convinced
    Snipes that this was the occupation he desired.

    In 1858 Snipes and Jeffries purchased several herds of cattle and drove them to the Yakima
    Valley for grazing. Their partnership dissolved after two years but Snipes continued buying and
    grazing cattle for slaughter.

    The "cow killer" winter of 1861-62, with icy crusts over the deep snow and sub-zero
    temperatures, caused losses of 75 to 100 percent in nearly all the cattle herds. While most of
    Snipes' cattle in the valley perished, the small herd that he had driven to Okanogan country
    survived. He sold them for $100 per head and promptly borrowed $50,000 to start a new herd. At
    the peak he owned around 100,000 head. Snipes was known throughout the territory by both
    Indians and settlers. He knew the Chinook jargon and hired several Indian cowboys for his
    drives.

    When severe winters and low beef prices stifled other cattle owners, Snipes would buy their
    herds. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before beef prices would go up again. This
    foresight and financial courage made him the largest individual cattle owner in the Northwest.

    In 1886 Snipes decided to open his own bank in Ellensburg, using most of his own money as
    capital. This bank was followed by the construction of a branch office in Roslyn. Snipes' cattle
    and bank businesses continued to be successful until the Roslyn bank robbery in 1892, followed
    by the depression of 1893. The stability of Snipes' banks were questioned and a run on the banks
    forced them to close.

    Even though Snipes' financial empire fell, he would always be remembered as the "Cattle King of
    the Northwest." He was building a new fortune at the time of his death in 1906 at age 71.

    From Valley of the Strong, Stories of Yakima and Central Washington History, 1974, A KIT
    Radio Publication by Wescoast Publishing Company.

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