Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-04-03
BOLD COWBOYS MUST CO.

Great Ranches Changing Into stssaaE.
| Farms in Which There Is No Place kr
| Him.
The time is nearing when the gen
uine cowboy will exist only In
song and story. He was a erea-
ton of necessity, and when thu
needs for which he was ere
ated shall disappear he will be seem -
more. Yet he will be sadly missed
Standing as purely American typo az
reckless, yet withal manly, bravery. hia
departure will rob us of daring expo
nent of truest freedom and liberty
The very air Of his broad, illimitahla
prairies engenders in him sense of
unfettered manhood. III history, - n
the sensational literature of the times.
he will be given place almost -
prominent as that accorded to the snosk
and the Indian hunter.
The cowboy we read about has bea~
surrounded with more of romance and
picturesqueness than it is his good for
tune to meet with in reality. His BE
to many possesses strange chaxnA.
which in most minds is born of i9aos-
ance, concerning his real surrounding1
Us many youth who has left corn
Portable home to become ranger It
the prairies has found to his sorrow.
Next to Texas, Illinois and Iowa axs
the greatest grazing and cattle-prodser
ing States. In the latter two there are
no COWBOYS, nor will there be in tae
former when the same conditions pro
vail. The great ranches covered VIII
prairie grass and prairie cattle will pa@
away. In their stead will be modest
farms of tame grasses and small har5s
of tame cattle, aud the cowboys with
their dashing broncos and ctanh1nG
spurs, will have no place in the new e.
, der of things. The gentle kline villa ne
spond to "co'boss" Of the farmer boz ar
leisurely comply with the wishes Of tAs
, farmers faithful shepherd dog. Ths
stampede, the roundup and the onrnal
will pass away, and better, albeit .
much less interesting, order of thsg
will take their places.
One who has never witnessed stn0-
4 pede of herd of Texas cattle can fnEn
but very incorrect idea of tho v11
! scene. Cowboys who have spent tAsr
= lives on the plains have the greassse
dread of them, knowing as they do. L.
consequences that attend them. StAR-
\ pedes may be occasioned from varcO
causes, but in most cases they reaaae
:. from the sudden bursting upon To
i herd of wind or hail storm. From tho
urairies, which are usually in . dry.
ashy condition, great cloud Of dnsk
arises, which alarms the herd, and. d.
e spite the endeavors of the cowboys e
70 hold it in subsection, it is up and aNay-
|. Cattle that moment before wera
q peacefully grazing seem to become I'M
r bued with spirit of madness, Their
D. only desire being to get away to some
r. place as rapidly as possible. Those II
re- the side of the herd nearest the COW
Is boys when the storm comes may be
III held where they are for a time tall tta
lp body Of the great herd come crowding
be rushing on, trampling everything be
ly fore it, At such times cowboys IN
%. SOM times caught in the herd. and
r. their horses are thrown or they becom,
III ,lislnounted they are trampled to death
re- Ii horse and rider retain their feet and
" saddle the only thing to do is to rid1
g. with the wild herd until it is brought
is % . halt from sheer exhaustion or SONS
70 e usual feature Of the landscape, suci
ID us river or a canon. If it be q rives
l0 | vi oGc0p ClJA AOuuAOOo VI oAC ShooA0 ~
ID the lead will be crowded into the Wate,a
Of the herd in the rear can be overcome
Id in this manner hundreds of head some,
IS times meet death together
III When the stampede is once bogus
ID the cowboys do all in their powe1
to scatter the herd members al
" which at such times seem to want t.
N cling closely to each other. Ii Great
a. ure falls it is almost sure to be tram.
Is pied on and injured and to cause 9th
N ers to full. The larger and more densl
le the herd the greater the danger Of in
N jury. Efforts are made to keep the
d herd going in circle, as thereby il
n sneed is lessened and it affords bette,
Of chance of getting in a wedge and
g. splitting it in two" Once the herd il
at broken up and the leaders are no long
ID er forced on by those in the rear thu
to stampede is over.
TO Sometimes during stampede herd
?. Of cattle will become scattered over q
D. territory from five to twenty or more
&c miles in length, and the cowboys have
10 much trouble in getting it together
8, again. A man on horseback attract,
0, but slight attention, but man on foot
9. or dog will cause the cattle to elevate
'e their heads and proceed to m.ka
b. trouble at once.
70 In herding Texas cattle the employ
= ing of shepherd dogs is out of the 4ues-
- - ton. The cattle will not tolerate tt,es,
- presence and the dexterity with whick
Il Z, they hook and kick would make . doss
=: - existence among them matter v
L
g farm horse would be Of little use to .
cowboy. His light, wiry mustang -
bronco seems to have been by natu,u
IN designed for the work in which it u =
" generally engaged. In the chase il f.,
or lows every movement of the croatuse i
le pursues, notinfrequently fiercesy hitsaa
IL it when within reaching dista".:a- *
to making short, abrupt turns it t..~cs sses
10 q foot Of distance, but makes ewes s&e,
g, count. In the chase ride.s euseesa
! A.,