The Cowboys of the Southwest

The Cowboys of the Southwest
Cultural Study
In the long ago days of the Old
West, some men made their
living on the open range. Their
days had a repeating rhythm,
almost like a song. It included the
creak of the saddle, the
comforting clip clop of horses’
hooves, the jingle of spurs, and
the lowing of cattle. Their work
was accompanied by the scent of
bacon and coffee, dust, and
smoke from a crackling campfire.
Their horizon was often filled
with the sights of rolling hills,
sage brush and cactus, and the
The legendary Texas longhorn.
wide, curved horns of the Texas
longhorn. In Mexico, these men were called vaqueros. In the United States, they
were known as cowboys.
Texas Longhorns, Railroads, and Cowboys
The word cattle is used to describe cows and steers. Cows are female cattle, and
steers are males. Texas longhorns are a special kind of cattle. They have horns
that often stretch more than six feet from tip to tip. The horns curve gracefully,
giving the Texas longhorn a rather elegant appearance. In addition, the Texas
longhorns are tough. Longhorns don’t need much water, rarely get sick, and can
live off the plants growing on the range. By the 1860s, thousands of them roamed
the American Southwest.
At about the same time, more and more railroad tracks were being laid in the
United States. This made travel easier and faster. It also made it easier to
transport food and other goods across the country. With the population growing
in the cities on the East Coast, the demand for beef was high. And Texas ranchers
had plenty of beef to sell—the longhorn cattle that roamed the range. They just
had to get the cattle to railroad towns such as Abilene, Kansas. Moving cattle was
a job for the cowboys.
Cowboys knew how to ride horses and handle cattle. They were masters at roping.
Mexican vaqueros had taught them these skills over time, and these skills had
become a part of the culture of the West. In fact, many cowboy terms came from
the Spanish language. For example, the long rope cowboys use to round up cattle
is called a lariat. It comes from the Spanish word reata.
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The Cowboys of the Southwest
Cultural Study
Because cowboys had the skills they needed, ranchers hired them to drive their
cattle across the open range. Cowboys traveled along trails with names like the
Chisholm, Western, and Goodnight-Loving. The work was hard and sometimes
dangerous. The pay was low. Cowboys made only $25 to $40 a month. Cooks who
traveled with the cowboys, on the other hand, made $60 a month. The foreman,
who was in charge of the other cowboys, made as much as $125 a month. Despite
its drawbacks, the cowboy life drew young men who loved the outdoors and
riding. This included not only white and Mexican cowboys, but also Native
Americans and African Americans.
The Round Up
Before cowboys could head across the range, they first had to gather the herd
together. This annual event was called the round up. In autumn, a certain
excitement filled the air. Cowboys looked forward to the chance to show off their
skills. While the serious business of riding, roping, separating, and branding the
herd was going on,
friendly competitions
took place. Every
cowboy wanted to
prove that he was the
best horseman, roper,
or handler.
During the round up,
cowboys spread out
over the range to drive
the cattle into corrals
or herd them into one
large area. One or
more cowboys “circled
Today’s rodeos can be traced back to early round ups. The
word rodeo is itself a Spanish word, meaning “round up.”
the herd” to keep the
animals together. Once
they were gathered, the calves had to be branded with a hot iron. A brand was the
initials or other mark of the owner. In order to brand the calves, cowboys chased
them on horseback and then threw a lasso around the animals’ hind legs. A
couple of other cowboys wrestled each animal to the ground, branded it, and
untied the rope. This took great strength and skill.
Once the round up was over, cowboys still had work to do. All winter long, they
watched over the herd to make sure no cattle got away or, worse, were stolen. In
the spring, they took to the trail.
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The Cowboys of the Southwest
Cultural Study
Outfitting for the Trail
For the next few months, cowboys lived on the open range. The most important
tool of the trade was the horse or mule. In addition to the horse or mule, a
cowboy’s saddle, lariat, boots, and hat were his most prized possessions.
Though they didn’t need much, cowboys became very connected to their few
possessions. Cowboys sat in their saddles for most of their waking hours, so it
had to be comfortable. Saddles were important at night, too. At night, many
cowboys used their saddles for their pillows. Most saddles had a horn in the
front that was handy for tying off a rope when needed. The rope, or lariat, was
usually 20 to 40 feet long. Cowboys became experts at twirling the lariat in a
circle over their heads, and then, with a flick of the wrist, bringing it down to
catch the feet of a steer or settling it over the animal’s head.
Cowboys’ dressed in a simple
cotton shirt and pants. Some
wore wool, and others wore
Levi’s jeans. On top of their
pants, cowboys wore chaps.
Chaps were made of canvas,
leather, or fur. They covered
the legs only and protected
cowboys from the brush they
rode through. They were also
warm. The word chaps, like
lariat, has Spanish origins. It
Cowboy lore, or tradition, says that a cowboy never
comes from the Spanish word
walked if he could ride. It was certainly true that a
chaparajos. Remember, the
cowboy and his horse were rarely separated.
Mexican vaqueros taught the
cowboys almost everything they knew!
On their feet, cowboys wore—you guessed it—boots. Like their saddles, cowboys
became very attached to their boots. Without the proper boots, it would have
been much more difficult to ride all day long. Cowboy boots were made of leather
and reached nearly to the knee. They had high heels, so that it was easy for a
cowboy to keep his feet hooked into the stirrups on the horse. Spurs were worn
around the heel of the boot. Spurs were used to nudge a horse to run or to steer it
without using the hands.
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The Cowboys of the Southwest
Cultural Study
Around his neck, a cowboy tied a loose handkerchief. It was handy for keeping
the sun off his neck. It was also a way to make it easier to breathe when the cattle
starting running and kicking up a lot of dust. The cowboy pulled the handkerchief
up over his mouth and nose to keep the dust out.
Finally, cowboys wore a
wide-brimmed hat to keep
off the sun and rain. It
was originally called a
sombrero—another
Spanish word. Later,
when a man named John
Stetson started selling
them in the 1860s, the
hats became known as
Stetson hats, today’s
cowboy hats.
This 1887 photograph shows cowboys resting near the
chuck wagon.
Some cowboys carried a
six-shooter pistol in a
holster around their hips. The guns were most often used when a wild animal
threatened one of the herd—or one of the cowboys.
The Cattle Drive
Wearing the equipment they needed, cowboys headed off across the open range
on their horses, driving the cattle before them. Driving the chuck wagon, the cook
took the lead. The chuck wagon was loaded with the food for the trip, the pans
and pots needed for cooking, and the cowboys’ bedrolls, or blankets and mats for
sleeping. By heading up the drive, the cook arrived at camp first. This gave him
time to get the meal started before all the men rode in.
Behind the chuck wagon came the remuda, or extra horses. Remuda is another
Spanish word. The remuda was handled by the horse wrangler. It was his job to
take care of the entire band of horses that would be needed for the trip. At
noontime, the men ate and then rested for an hour or so while the cattle grazed.
Afterward, the men all got fresh horses and the journey continued.
The foreman rode at the front point of the formation. Across from him rode the
top hand or segundo. They led the cattle northward along the trail. Two cowboys
rode on either side of the herd. They were called the swings. Two more rode
behind. They were called the flanks. And in the very rear rode the drags. It was
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The Cowboys of the Southwest
Cultural Study
their job to keep the slow or injured cattle moving. Most cowboys probably did
not want the job of a drag. That was because it was really dirty business following
behind the 2,500 to 5,000 steers in a typical cattle drive. All those hooves kicked
up a lot of dust!
When the day’s ride was done, 10 to 15 miles of ground had been covered. The
cook served up another meal of bread, meat, and beans. A fire was built, and the
cowboys sat around it singing songs, telling jokes, and sharing stories. Soon
enough, they were ready to rest. Riding all day was tiring work. Cowboys spread
bedrolls on the ground and slept beside a campfire under the stars. They took
turns guarding the cattle throughout the night. Every two hours it was time to
change shifts. Their job was to get the herd safely to town, and they took their
work seriously.
A Cowboy’s Life
For the most part, a cowboy’s days on the trail were repetitive and lonely. Every
now and then, however, something would spook the herd. Perhaps a bear charged
from some hidden place, intent on protecting its cubs. Or maybe a bolt of
lightning and a boom of thunder would disrupt the day’s peacefulness. The
disturbance could be caused by any number of things, but when it happened, look
out. It could cause a stampede in which the cattle would start running in terror. If
they weren’t stopped, they would turn wildly off course, run in many different
directions, or even run off a cliff. But how do you stop a stampede? It was on
occasions such as these that cowboys earned their reputations as skilled and
fearless riders. They rode as fast as they could to get in front of the fleeing cattle
and head them off. If the rider or horse made even a tiny mistake, then the horse
could lose its footing. That meant that both would almost certainly be trampled to
death beneath the thundering feet of the cattle.
The period of cattle drives lasted a short time, until the railroads provided a
faster way to move cattle. Yet the image of the tough, self-reliant cowboy persists
even today. The cowboy culture, which began with the Mexican vaqueros, has a
permanent place in American history. The cowboy was a rugged individual with
strength and courage. People around the world respect cowboys because of their
skills with cattle. The down-to-earth, common-sense attitude of the cowboy has
been portrayed in countless movies, books, and artwork through the years. The
cowboy culture is one that celebrates the great outdoors, the lure of the open
range, and the grace and majesty of horse and rider.
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The Cowboys of the Southwest
Cultural Study
After reading the passage, answer the following questions:
1. What was the first step in the year-long process of getting cattle to
market?
A. driving the herd northward in the spring
B. rounding up the herd in the fall
C. watching the herd through the winter
D. shipping the cattle on the railroad in the summer
2. What is a lariat?
A. a rope used by cowboys
B. the band of extra horses taken on a cattle drive
C. the Spanish word for a cowboy hat
D. another name for the top hand
3. Why did ranchers want to get their cattle to towns like Abilene,
Kansas?
A. to sell the herds to people in Texas
B. to gather their herds for the long drive
C. to increase the size of their herds
D. to ship the herds to markets in the East
4. In what ways was the American cowboy influenced by the Mexican
vaquero? Use evidence from the passage to support your answer.
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