On this Date in Minnesota history: July 9

July 9, 1919 – Among the starving thousands of cattle and sheep being shipped from the parched and brown plains of western states to the excellent pastures of Northern Minnesota, are 2,000 sheep moving from a Utah ranch to Itasca State Park, where they will be used in a forest fire prevention experiment.

State and railroad officials, western ranchmen and land owners from Northern Minnesota met at the capitol to discuss further the movement to avert heavy losses of livestock and to utilize the big forage crops in the northern part of the state. John M. Brander, Montana marketing agent, arrived for the conference from Thief River Falls, where he opened emergency offices through which to place western ranchers in touch with land owners desiring to lease pastures or take stock for feeding on shares. Figures on the extent of the stock movement will then be made available.

W. T. Cox, state forester, arranged with a Utah rancher to ship his flocks of sheep to Itasca State Park in an experiment to determine if they will clear out the grass, weeds and other growth sufficiently to reduce the danger of forest fires. Cox has made other attempts to carry out the experiment, but this is the first time he succeeded in prevailing upon an owner to send his sheep.

The Bemidji Daily Pioneer; “Pasturing Sheep in Itasca State Park Will Be Tried by Forestry Department as Prevention Against Fire.”; July 09, 1919; p. 1.

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