Louie Roy, what is the name of your songbook that gives an 1876 date?

We know it was played by the Dodge City Cowboy Band at a funeral for Miss Flora (a dog) in the 1880's. Fife and Fife can't point with certainty at any author (One source says F. H. Maynard in 1872).

You are probably correct about the late occurrence of "My Home's in Montana" version. The first mention of that line is in Larkin (1931), a version "given to me by a Montana puncher." The rest was written for a school songbook (see 06 Jan 02 post by Dicho, above, quote from Ohrlin).