Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-11-11
The American Cowboy.

| The American Cowboy.
Harper's Magazine.
The cowboy of to-day, especially on
the northern range, is of entirely differ
ent type from the original cowboy of
Texas. New conditions have produced
the change. The range cattle business
of Kansas, Nebraska, Coloraeo, Wyoming,
Montana, and Dakotas, as already stated,
new business. Those engaged in it as
! proprietOrs are chiefly from the states
situated from the states east of the Mis-
! souri, River and north of the Indian Ter
rltory. Among them are also many En-
| glishmen, Scotchmen, Frenchmen, and
| Germans of large means, embracing
| titled men who have embarked in the bus
mess quite extensively. Many of these
! came to America originally as tourists or
for the purpose of hunting buffaloes, but
| the attractiveness of the cattle business
arrested them, and they have become vir-
tuslly, if not through the act of natural
zatiOn, American herdsmen. Some of this
class have, from the force of romantic
temperament and the exhilaration of
range life, themselves participated &C
lively in the duties of the cowboy.
Organization, discipline, and other
characterize the new undertakings on the
northern ranges. In a word, the cattle
business of that section is now and has
from the beginning been carried on upon
strictly business principles. Under such
proprietorships, and guided by such
methods, new class of cowboys has
been introduced and developed. Some
have come from Texas, and have brought
with them a knowledge of the arts of
their calling, but the number from the
other statos and territories constitutes
| large majority of the whole. Some are
graduates of American colleges, and 9TH
ers of collegiate institutions in Europe.
Many have rGsOrted to the occupation of
cowboy temporarily and for the purpose
! Of learning the range cattle business,
with the view of eventually engaging in
it of their own account, or in the interest
| of friends DESTROYS of investing money in
the enterprise.
The life of the cowboy is always one of
excitement and of romantic interest.
His waking hours when ''rining on trail"
are spent in the saddle, and at night he
makee his bed upon the lap of mother
earth.
The great herds which are yearly driv-
en- out of Texas to the northern ranges
usually embrace from $500 to 1000 young
cattle each, and the movement has since
~
amounted to about 100000 heod, worth
nearly $5O,OOO,OOO. Each herd is placed
in charge of boss, with from eight to
ten cowboys, a provision wagon and
cook. -Four horses are supplied to each
| cowboy, for the duty is an arduous one.
The range cattle when away from their
| accustomed haunts are sus picIous and ex-
| citable, and need to be managed with the
| greatest care to keep them from STAN
peding. When 'on trial. they are close
herded at night-fall, and all lie down in
a space of about two acres.
The cowboys then by watches ride
around them all night long. The SEN
sible presence of man seems to give them
a feeling of security.
The journey from southern Texas to
Montana requires from four to six
months. Herds are also drived from
| Oregon and Washington Territory to
| Wyoming and eastern Montana. 1t is
| impossible for one who has not had &C
| tual experience in ''rid1ng on trail' to
imagine the difficulties involved in driv-
ing large herd of wild cattle over noun
! tain ranges, across desert lands where in
some cases food and water are not found
for many miles, and where streams must
be crossed which are liable to dangerous
freshets.
A large part of the northern ranges it
embraced in the area which Silas Bent, an
accomplished meteorologist, terms ''the
birthplace of the tornado" Thunder and
| lightning are here frequent, and they are
specially terrifying to range cattle. The
most thrilling incident in the life of the
cowboy occurs on the occasion of thun
der-storm at night. Such an occurrence
/ : 81 oI~c
ton by Mr.. William A. Baille Grohman,
an English writer:
"On the appoach of one of these vio-
lent outbursts the whole force is ordered
on dute; the spare horses-of which each
man has always three, and often as many
as eight or ten-are carefully fed and
| tethered, and the herd is 'rouI ded up
that is collected into as small space as
possible, waile the men continue to ride
around the densely massed throng. Like
horses, cattle derive courage from the
close proximity of man. The thunder
peals, and the vivid lightning flashes
with amazing brilIiancy. as with lowered
head the herd eagerly watch the slow,
steady pace of the COW ponies, and no
doubt derive from it comforting sense
of protection. Sometimes, however. a
wild steer will be unable to control his
terror, and will make dash through
convenient opening. The crisis is at
bend, for the example will surely be fol-
lowed and in two minutes the whole
herd of 1000 head will have broken
through the line of horsemen and be
away, one surging, believing mass of ter
rified beasts. Fancy pitch dark night,
a pouring torrent of rain, the ground