D. J. O’Malley grew up at frontier forts because his stepfather served in the 19th Infantry. He lived at Fort Keogh near Miles City for five years before going to work in 1882 at age 16 for the Home Land and Cattle Co. (N-Bar-N) for $45 a month. During his 14-year tenure with the outfit, he took part in three trail drives from Texas. In O’Malley’s day, writing verse about life on the range was a common cowboy pastime, and he was considered one of the best. His poem “After The Roundup” appeared in the Miles City Stockmen’s Journal in 1893, and thirty years later it had become the classic “When the Work’s All Done This Fall.”