In 1905, the Rocky Mountain News dismissed the “flat country” of Baca and Prowers as good for “nothing… but broomcorn”—a cash crop that, paired with cane for feed, kept families afloat even as storms and feed shortages killed herds. A generation later, that same “nothing but broomcorn” would be recast as a badge of identity and prosperity. This definitely carries a value judgment: broomcorn = “eke out a precarious existence.” That mirrors a common metro-newspaper lens that frames Plains livelihoods as marginal, especially in disaster pieces (this story is anchored in carcasses, storms, and scarcity). You can read it as urban rural bias more than a neutral inventory of crops. Hmmm. Sounds like 2025.

Historically, it’s useful: it is not the earliest record, but it documents early adoption of broomcorn in the area—well before the mid-century “Broomcorn Capital” boosterism. You can use this to show the arc from “scraping by on broomcorn” (1905) to “richest county”/“broomcorn king” narratives (1949–1970ish).

Lying dead on the prairies of Prowers and Baca counties are hundreds and hundreds of head of stock, including both cattle and horses. In part this condition is a result of the Easter storm, but in the majority of cases the carcasses are the accumulation of the winter, which has been a particularly severe one to a portion of the inhabitants of the two counties.

The heaviest sufferers are the residents of the “flat country.” This includes a large stretch of land through which one may make a day’s journey without striking water. Nothing is grown in this section but broomcorn, for it is by the making of brooms that the inhabitants eke out a precarious existence, and cane, which they raise to feed their cattle.

There is an unusually large proportion of cattle owned in this section, more than can be properly cared for. The scarcity of water causes the stock to suffer both winter and summer, while the scarcity of feed is a serious condition every winter.

Scarcity of Feed.

Last winter feed was especially scarce. Having been left on the cane, when the snow finally gave out the stock would not get out and “rustle” for itself, as is the case usually; they lingered around the ranches, and through lack of food and water, began to drop dead by the hundreds. The owners tried to care for them as best they could, but were compelled to see them die unaided.

The attention of the state bureau of child and animal protection was called to the situation last week. Secretary H. E. Kerr made an investigation. He returned yesterday to Denver with the story that from 50 to 75 per cent of the cattle in these two counties had died from lack of feed, water and shelter. One ranchman lost fifty head out of ninety-six; another, sixty-five head out of 110; another, twenty-six head out of 100. In many instances the actual loss was just double for the reason that cows with young calves both died. The loss among the horses was equally great.

Lost 250 Head.

The Easter storm made conditions that had been deplorable actually pitiable. In less than two days one stockman near Lamar lost 250 head of cattle. These animals died on both Sunday and Monday. The society can do nothing to better the situation and the only result of Mr. Kerr’s visit is that next fall it will see that the supply of feed in these counties is sufficient to carry the stock through.

Mr. Kerr had a very thrilling experience while away. He was stopping at a ranch house on Bear Creek and had sent for one of the agents to come to see him on important business. Owing to the storm of Sunday the agent would not venture out. Mr. Kerr undertook to ride over to see him. The distance was nineteen miles. Mr. Kerr made the trip through the driving rain, and was returning home when, about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, he lost his way. He wandered around for some time, and finally, about 9 o’clock, sought the shelter of an arroyo, as his horse had given out. He and both man and animal lay down in the pouring rain and waited until about 1 o’clock in the morning. By this time the animal had sickened a little and they again took the trail for the ranch house. This was found in about an hour, it being about four miles away.

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