Interviewer
Ernest Kraft
Files
Description
William “Ike” Melton chronicles moving to Montana in 1912 and homesteading on the Flathead Indian Reservation. He discusses how he came to work at the Bison Range and describes the buffalo disposal program. Melton talks about the increase in buffalo, how the animals were handled when they were killed, and tells the story of the first buffalo he shot. He recalls working for Frank Rose, the Range manager, and describes their working relationship. Melton discusses working on the Range during the filming of The Big Trail in the summer of 1930. He tells how Frank Rose was fired after the shooting of the film due to animals being injured and dying during the process. Melton details managing his own private bison stock beginning in 1948, then deciding to sell after he suffered a stroke in 1961.
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Document Type
Oral History
Subjects
Homesteaders, Montana; National Bison Range; Buffalo herds; Bison herds; Range management; Livestock management; Albino elk; The Big Trail; Bison behavior; Frank H. Rosel Trisky Creek; Andrew Hodges; Charlie McLaughlin; Heiney Helgerson; Bryon Nowlin; William Randolph Hearst
Original Date
1965
Time Period
Twentieth century
Geographic Coverage
Montana
Language
eng
Original Collection
National Bison Range Oral History Project, OH 149, Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula
Digital Publisher
University of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library
Rights
Copyright to this collection is held by the interview participants and by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula. Permission may be required for use. For further information please contact Archives and Special Collections: (406) 243-2053 / library.archives@umontana.edu
Oral History Number
OH 149-004c
Media Type
Sound; Text
Original Format
1 reel-to-reel: analog + 1 transcript (57 p.: 28 cm.)
Digital Format
audio/mp3; application/pdf
Run Time
02:12:54 minutes
Local Filename
OH_149_004_c.mp3; OH_149_004_c.pdf
Citation
Melton, William J. B. and Young, Clarence, "William J. B. “Ike” Melton and Clarence “Cy” Young Interview, circa 1965" (1965). National Bison Range Oral History Project. 13.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/nationalbisonrange_oralhistory/13