St. Paul daily globe., 1889-01-07
A "R0UNO-UP" OF STEERS.
How the Cowboys Collect Cattle on a
Thousand Hills.
LED INTO THE CORRAL.
Burned Sides, Punched Ears and Ears
Cut Off as Branding
Marks.
PHILADELPHIA Press.

- $50
Philadelphia Press.
The word roundup" so often seen
in print, is known by most rnople, to be
a Western term, but its real significance
is not generally known.
On the northern ranges in Dakota,
Montana and Wyoming territories the
cattle are all allowed to run at large
through the winter and summer. They
do not stray a great distance Off, how.
ever, and, unless stampeded. may
usually be found within thirty miles or
so of their respective ranches.
To collect the immense herds OF eat
tie in the spring and fall is no easy
| matter, and to do this roundup" is
formed. This is made up by the own
ers of the ranches which are on the
same range, sending roundup" out
fit and their quota of cowboys.
A roundup" outfit consists of, be-
sides the indispensable cowboys, a
camp wagon drawn by four horses or
mules. at least five horses for each cow
boy, branding irons, cooking utensils,
and last, but not least, a cook, who gen.
orally drives the wagon.
These respective representatives of
the different ranches meet at the end of
through the country, collecting and
branding the cattle and calves. The
wagons do not drive more than ten or
fifteen miles day, but the cowboys in
search OF cattle ride sixty or seventy
miles. This is where the necessity for
each cowboy having SO many horses
comes in.
The cattle collected during days
riding are all driven to the nearest
ranch where there is a corral. Cattle
are not collected every day, as the cow
boys stop every other day to brand the
cattle caught. The cattle collected in a
days ride by roundup OF thirty
cowboys make an immense herd. This
herd is watched very carefully during
the night, and the next morning the
work of rounding them out" begins:
"Rounding-out'' is the term applied
brands from the herd. This is difficult
work and IS done only by very expert
cowboys. They drive into the herd
and when they find one of their own
brand they slowly drive it out from
the bunch. When it is driven out it is
taden in charge by another cowboy who
drives it to a small herd, which is en-
| tirely composed of cattle of its own
brand. ct will take two or three hours
| to get the large herd separated into as
| many small herds as these brands are
represented in the ''round-up."
THE BRANDING PROCESS.
After the small herd is separated the
COWS with calves and unbranded cattle
are rounded out from the branded cattle.
The branded cattle are put into herd
and driven several miles back over the
same ground and turned loose. A fire is
t,,,il i,,o nf
roundup" is, the bars are let down,
and Que of the herds of COWS with
calves and unbranded cattle are driven
in. 4yF fs
Two ropers walk their ponies into
the corral. the bars are put up, the
brands of the man who owns the cattle
in the corral are heated i'll the fire. The
work of branding begins.
The ropers ride around the corral,
swinging theirropes around their heads.
AS they see single calves on the edge of
the herd their laSSOeS leave their hands
with snap and wind around thefcalveS'
two hind legs. This is called .'heeling"
and is a great deal more difficult to,
do than catching them by the neck.
The calves when caught are dragged
up to the fire, where they are held and
branded. Branding does not take long,
and soon the corral is readygfor the next
herd. The roperS are quite expert with
the lasso and keep the men at the fire
busy. The calves are not only branded
to mark them, but some owners cut
their ears in different shapes.
Other owners even 60 so far as to cut
one of the ears off entirely. After a
herd that is marked this way has left
| the corral the ground is sometimes cov-
| cred with ears. In almost every herd
that is driven into the corral there are
| some cattle that were not branded the
wear before, and these have to be han
| died more carefully or else they gore
| the handler.
One of the ropers walks his horse
around until he sees good chance,
| when, quick as flash, he catches the
steer by the hind legs. The steer knows
! he is caught and turns to run at the man
| who caught him. AS soon as he turns the
| other roper throws his lasSO around
the animals horns. which holds him
| fast. The steer is thus held fast, and
in that condition is branded. When
done, the lasso around his head is
taken off and he is allowed to rise. The
men all get out of the way, and then the
rope is taken off the steers hind legs by
skillful twist of the roper's hand.
| When the whole herd is branded they
| are driven OuG VI tJC Colldl, duO tllc
next herd is put through the same pro-
| cess.
AFTER THE BRANDING.
When all the cattle are branded they
| are driven back over the same ground
| that the " roundup" traversed the day
| before and turned loose.
On the roundup each man leaves
| his horses to the care of men called
.Wranglers,' who keep the horses in
herds, which are easily guarded. Every
morning one of the herds is driven in
near the wagons, and after breakfast
some lasso-thrower stands near the herd,
and, as the cowboys come after horses,
| he catches ponies for them. So the cow
boys do not ride their own horses, but
have to take whatever is given to them.
Some of the horses are ''bucking Dron-
chos." Any one may be the unfortunate
man that gets ''bucking broncho."
Breakfast on roundup is at o'clock,
and by the wagons are all moving and
the cowboys are riding off inl different
directions. They ride all morning, and
at noon stop an hour for dinner. After
dinner they change horses and start out
again.
Life on the roundup is hard work.
The cowboys are in all sorts of danger,
have to sleep on the ground. rain OF