I've been enjoying a bit of research and reading about the army division my Grandpa Sandvig served in during World War I. The patch of a pine tree was worn on this division's uniform sleeve, being adopted because the men in this unit came from states where pine trees grow (so goes the legend). Therefore they were called the Pine Tree Division. The 91st Division had another nickname, though, that was much more interesting: the Wild West Division. Men from California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, and Alaska comprised the 27,000 men of this group who trained in Fort Lewis, Washington.
Presently, I am working on a magazine article and am finding a good deal of information that I never knew where to find before. North Dakota soldiers were never mentioned as being part of the 91st and I often wondered how Grandpa found his way in there. An answer came when I saw his regiment, the 362nd, contained mostly Montana cowboys. So the stretch wasn't too great then that they reached into the neighboring state to find a few.
The 91st adopted as their motto, "Powder River, let 'er buck!" Supposedly this came from the Wyoming cowboys where the Powder River runs. I've been interested in this topic for several years, but with the movie and book War Horse, I made myself reacquaint with it. When this outfit got into France they were transported part ways in railroad cars called "40 et 8" which meant 40 men or 8 horses could be hauled in them. One source said that with these broad-shouldered cowboys, though, 40 were too many.
One story told by a family member told of the time when Grandpa was on the troop train headed for training camp in Washington. The train stopped at a station in Montana to pick up some men. There, a sergeant started barking orders at them. One cowboy, not yet schooled in the ways of insubordination, hauled off and decked the sergeant. Apparently, whenever the train stopped after that armed guards stood ready.
The war effort made on these plains has many facets to it, one being that many thousands of horses were gleaned from the countryside to be shipped overseas to serve on the battlefields. Many thousands of these animals died from wounds and disease. Another story I want to tell is that of one named Tipperary, a horse too wild to be accepted for army duty but went on to be a famous rodeo horse.
Presently, I am working on a magazine article and am finding a good deal of information that I never knew where to find before. North Dakota soldiers were never mentioned as being part of the 91st and I often wondered how Grandpa found his way in there. An answer came when I saw his regiment, the 362nd, contained mostly Montana cowboys. So the stretch wasn't too great then that they reached into the neighboring state to find a few.
The 91st adopted as their motto, "Powder River, let 'er buck!" Supposedly this came from the Wyoming cowboys where the Powder River runs. I've been interested in this topic for several years, but with the movie and book War Horse, I made myself reacquaint with it. When this outfit got into France they were transported part ways in railroad cars called "40 et 8" which meant 40 men or 8 horses could be hauled in them. One source said that with these broad-shouldered cowboys, though, 40 were too many.
One story told by a family member told of the time when Grandpa was on the troop train headed for training camp in Washington. The train stopped at a station in Montana to pick up some men. There, a sergeant started barking orders at them. One cowboy, not yet schooled in the ways of insubordination, hauled off and decked the sergeant. Apparently, whenever the train stopped after that armed guards stood ready.
The war effort made on these plains has many facets to it, one being that many thousands of horses were gleaned from the countryside to be shipped overseas to serve on the battlefields. Many thousands of these animals died from wounds and disease. Another story I want to tell is that of one named Tipperary, a horse too wild to be accepted for army duty but went on to be a famous rodeo horse.
