The Cowboy

Bringing the Cattle to North America  Cattle and Horses came from Spain on Columbus’ second voyage in Map of Columbus’ second voyage from Spain. Livestock first came to these islands and were later transported to Mexico.

These Cattle would produce: ●The Spanish Fighting Bull ●The Texas Longhorn

The Mexican Cowboy  Vaquero –Consisted mainly of Indians –Low-class position –Predecessor to the American Cowboy  Influenced cowboy dress and dialect

The Texas Cowboy  By ,000 cattle roamed Texas  By million cattle roamed Texas

 Cowboy Days began after the Civil War.  Freedmen and others moved to Texas to herd all the unbranded cattle.  1/3 American Cowboys were: –Native American –Black –Mexican

Before the Drive  Open Range –Cattle from all ranches grazed together  Branding –Essential to distinguish between cattle

 Rustlers –Tried to steal unbranded cattle  Roundup –Every spring, the cowboys herd all the cattle together from the range and brand the new calves.

Round UP

Positions of an Outfit  Boss - Foreman –Put outfit together –Paid $125 a month –Rode ahead of the herd –Decided which trail to take –Collected bills of sale for livestock

 Cowboy – –Paid $25 - $40 a month –Worked the herd –Three different positions during the drive  Segundo- Even with the boss Segundo  Swing – behind the boss Swing  Flank – behind the swing Flank  Drag – behind the herd (usually the least experienced) Drag

 Wrangler – –Youngest of an Outfit –Took care of the Remuda (horse herd) –Each cowboy took three to four horses with him on a drive.

 The Cook –Older than the cowboys –More experienced than the cowboys –Paid more than the cowboys –Traveled a mile ahead of the herd with the Chuckwagon Chuckwagon –Found camp –Prepared all meals (3:00 am, Noon, Evening) –Took on other odd jobs:  Doctor  Tailor  Barber

The Drive  At first they traveled about 25 miles a day.  They then Traveled miles a day –Allowed plenty of grazing time for cattle to stay fat  Trip took 4-6 months

 Cowboy songs –Entertainment for lonely days –Kept cattle calm

Trails  The Western  The Chisholm  Goodnight-Loving

Cow Towns  Emerged as a result of the drives. –Abilene –Dodge City –Ellsworth

Cowboy Apparel

Cowboy Hat Boots Chaps Shirt Lariat Bandana Gun Saddle

Cowboy Hat  Besides his horse, this was his most prized possession.  It was based off the Sombrero used by vaqueros

The Shirt  Usually made of cotton. No pockets. If a cowboy wanted pockets, he wore a vest.

The Saddle  Could weigh up to 40 pounds  A cowboy wasn’t afraid to spend a months wages on a nice one.  At the end of a drive, a cowboy might sell his horse, but never his saddle.

The Bandana A Bandana was used to keep the dust out of a cowboy’s face, or it was worn underneath the cowboy hat.

Chaps  Chaps are like seatless trousers. They protect a cowboy From the elements, brush, and rope burns.

The Gun  A cowboy hardly ever carried a gun. It was too much gear for a hard days work.  If they did carry a gun however, it was the famous, Colt.45 Revolver.  It shoots six times before having to reload.  Generally used for hunting meals rather than fighting Indians.

Boots and Spurs Boots and Spurs  Boots had high heels to keep the foot in the stirrup.  Spurs were attached to the boot and used to encourage the horse to move.

The Lariat  Lariat comes from the Spanish word “ la reata.”  Made of twisted grass or raw hide.  Unlike a gun, a cowboy was never seen without his lariat.

The Horse…

 A cowboy’s horse was “wild” for its first couple years.  After being caught, a “bronco buster” was appointed to tame the animal. bronco busterbronco buster  This tradition paved the way to the rodeo.

The Bronco Buster…

Difficulties to the Job  Animals try to break lose and head back to the homeland  Lack of water  The elements: dust, rain, wind, storm  Lack of sleep  Other animals: snakes, coyotes, etc...

 But the biggest danger was a STAMPEDE. It could mean: –Loss of cattle –Death  And then there was the matter of crossing through…

Indian Territory

 Indians did not like cowboys crossing over their land.  These conflicts, however, rarely ended in gunfights.  Most of the time cowboys just paid a toll for every cow that crossed the land.

End of the Cowboy Days  What brought the cowboy days to a halt? –Harsh winter of –Expansion of the Railroads –Sheep herders move east –Barbed Wire