James C Simmons

Just To Keep Even James C Simmons

The events depicted in "Just To Keep Even" occurred one hundred years ago. Yet, hot debate continues in the Hi-Line country of Montana whether our hero was murdered, committed suicide, or simply perished due to bad luck and severe weather. Long George Francis was easily the most recognizable, famous/infamous, and misunderstood individual of Hill County, Montana, at the dawn of the twentieth century. A superb horseman in a time of rapid mechanization, his formative years were spent governed by the ethos of the open range and self-reliance. By adulthood, he found himself in a changed world with new rules that placed him in constant conflict and peril. He adapted by using his cowboy skills to become a topnotch rodeo performer and showman gaining him an honored spot in the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. A culmination of factors including mechanization, his continuing belief in open range rules, and a small number of bitter enemies resulted in his untimely death and the legend that followed.