Mick Harrison's Limited Edition Release of "The 1902 Roundup"

Mick Harrison & "The 1902 Roundup"

In May of 1902 western South Dakota ranchers were ordered by the U. S. government to remove their livestock from reservation land. Up to that time it was still open range on the northern prairies and herds drifted with the weather, in this case to the Rosebud Reservation including the confluence of the Big & Little White Rivers south of Murdo, SD.

Ranchers from all over western South Dakota took part in one of the largest, and some say, last big roundup. Approximately 400-500 cowboys, each with up to 10 head of horses and 16 throwback wagons, rounded up and removed, by varying estimates, from 45,000 to 60,000 head in a three month period. The Rosebud agent, D.L. McLane, collected a $1 per head from each owner before they trailed their herds home. This spelled the end of the open range era in South Dakota.

In the summer of 2011, artist Mick B. Harrison, SD historian and Rapid City author Dave Strain, director Peggy Ables of the High Plains Western Heritage Center in Spearfish, SD and Rapid City writer Steve Miller, visited the White River location.

This painting is the result of that research and pays honor to those who took part in this historical event.

Enjoy Mick’s WEB SITE LINK.  Select “Limited Editions” for details of “The 1902 Roundup”