The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1884-09-04
q 4 n " u b
5A Oak ota Cattle Roundup .s

VI Mr. James Vance, q ranc nchman, who
served his appr nticeship as cowboy and
s.rounder-dp was yesterday corralIed
and induced to deliver up some interest
ing matter about Tonnd d-nps. :38s
The roundup is the great event Of the
ockman's year, It's his Fourth Of July,
and generally lasts q month and q half.
The territorial aper publishes such q
notice as this said Mr.: Vance, taking d
slipof paper from his vale i: Round-
mp No. s, aramie Plains Roundup will
meet at the Lower Bird dge, near McGillis
;r[anch,, on the big Laramie river on June
4, and proceed to- work the country be-
tween the river and the Black Hills Di-
vide as far south as Red Buttes; from
thence it win work in;two diYisions!as
far south as Twin Mountains; thence.
sss.ss;,S ts.::.s, - Diamond Pea X, working ap
Boulder and intermed ediate creeks up 70:
the; source Of the Big Laramie river iISs3S M
g That, /. proceede the gent leman, sis
an 6faciai iaiannepncementtsto to an the stock
men, and they combine and Join iii sto.s.
gather The ranges are generally about
ten miles IN extent, though some Of
Them are thirty. N
Nhat's q roundup party r, zk}
That's an expression we have, and
means about ten wagons and as many
cowboys q cook going with each wagon,
and every cowboy has q string Of about
six Or ten ponies. The .Out' comes off at
3 O'clock in the morning under the.
charge Of an experienced foreman.
Everybody Is on horse eback, and the fore
man operates sonnet thing Iii this manner:
He sends one party out on the divide as
out pickets, and other parties along the
canons and gulches with orders to drive
the cattle up to the roundup cent? a
point previously agreed upon (
The boys Will be gone several days?',
1tOh, no. "a good cowboy will ride
from thirty to forty miles in the morn
ing coming up to his pony herd and TAX
ing out another one Of his ponies Just as
|he needs them. Sometimes q cowboy
will ride down three or four ponies in q
day When the foreman covers his dog
as it's called, the cattle are / gathered on
the prairie in small herds, and then
comes the fun. On the wiry, little, feet-
footed Indians ponies, who ( dodge and
back, and stop in q tWinkling, the COW
Iboy rush into the herds, and shouting,
yelling, and swearing, separate the herds,
and drive out those having the different
owners. n s8.s s3,5s:s;
Then; every man has his own brand r.
Most assuredly There are no two
brands alike Some are slits, some let
tiers. some holes, and some figures. ( IN
fact. there III every conceivable form 81
mari zen a man wants d brand, he
Egets it up and has itrecorded in the Office
LOT the county clerk, In q book that is es.
pecially kept for the purpose. All the
cowboys are not engaged ID cutting out
that Is, getting the cattle that have
4 the same brand all Stoge ether. Others are
lbusy in holding the herd to prevent a
stamp dc. Thus all the heard are picked
Sl3:
hats done with those that are left 2
Those whore the owner is not known
are called estrays, ana calves that arc
away from their mothers are called
maverick ,,'
hat do You do with these3 r.
These mavericks are branded with The
mark belonging TO the largest female
herd in tile neigh borhood. & 81
Alwaysa at the wind-up Of the round
:Iup. The cattle are all driven into cor
1ral, where q fire Is burning and 3ths
branding irons heated. cowboy rides
lin and swinging d lariat over the heat
OF . calf or around his hind legs, secure.
/ the hand end Of the lariat to his saddl.
4 Ipummel. The cali is quickly thrown
and lies lowing on the ground. Tht
brand Is either burned into his side, 81
Il his shoulder or rtmp. Of perhaps the eal
y Iis slit, and its done In d second, quicker
a than I'm telling you. There's Is grea,
4 noise made. but very little confusion
II They have the business now stematizat
20 that everything goes like clockwork
~ Cincinnati Sun. IS