Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-10-09
ON THE TRAIL.
an INTERESTING FEATURE OF
The CATTLE BUSINESS.


TEXAS PASHLNDLE, Oct 3, 1892
This trail Is by no means an obsolete or
abandoned feature OF the cattle business
since the Introduction and MULTIPLICATION OF
railroads In Texas. The railroads have not
dispensed with the uses Of the trail, only
reduced and limited them. Trail work now is
mostly conilnedto the bringing oicattle from
the southern breeding ranches about Cor
pus Lhri, d aud the coast country, san An
tonic and south and southwest OF Fort
Worth, up onto these North Texas and Pan
handle ranches the moving u herds from
one ranch TO another on account OF water
or grass; or the driving of them anywhere
from twenty TO 2lO miles to some
railroad shipping point; about the only long
trail work that Is now done being tho driv
ing north every spring by the big cattle
companies here Of 2-yearods TO fatton IN
the pAstures-or ia'her on the free range
oil Wyoming, Montana and Dakota such
trips as these latter are, except iorchhnRed
conditions eyerywhcro-n difference In the
cattle driven the men that drive them, the
character Of tho people and country
through which the drive Is made, the alb
sence OF Indians and buffalo, comparative
scarcity OF cattle thieves and professional
something like the work Of
the oldcn time.
TnE OLD TRAILS.
Tho three longest, best known mud most
used trails In those days were the The
Ole Dodge Trail, - the "Chisholmn and the
"Goodnight."
The feeders of the Dodge trail conoen-
trated about San Antonio, coming In from
the region OF Corpus Christi and the fine
breeding counties Of the co and from
these down along the MeXicau frontier.
From the vicinity of san Antonio the trail
nude a sort Of detour to 20 around a fenced
farming country OF German settlers, going
To Kcrrvillc on the Guadalupe, over Guada.
Mpe Mountains 10 Motifs Ranch; pnst l. OFT
Mason 10 Fort Grihn; thence TO Dodge
| city, Kas., then Fort Dodgc,) about q
| three months drive. THIS was the end OF
| the Dodge triul proper From here IL
| branches out In various directions, leading
| on to OgAlnlla and 10 The Indian agencies
| and military posts and reservations In the
Missouri, Powder and Snake river countries
Fort fcttcrmnn, Grow Agency and the
Yellowstone country.
The Chisholm trail gathered itself to
gether for a start near Fort Worth ,or west
Of H. went up northeast into Indian Terri.
tory, crossing the Red river ~ Rod River
station; through to Wichita, Kan, thence
| 10 Newton, Abilene aud Ogalalln, from
which point It branched out 10 supply tho
sawe country as tho Dodge trail.
| Tho Goodnight trail was called for the
man who opened IL aud drove cattle over IL
for years, Churlcs Goodnight 1t started In
| lne country houlhehht OF L orr worth. ana
led southwestward to the Pecos, which IL
crossed at Horsehead crossing, followed
the river up through New Mexico aud went
over Into Colorado, ending near Pueblo.
TRAIL "ourFIT,n
The herds regularly driven through on
these trails usually numbered from POGO 10
1900 head with them want mess wagon,
or, speaking In cowboy yernacuar,
| 'trhuck wagon, - a cook-Who WAS also
I Il "a ala "a.
riders, and tho boss, who was also n rider
when occasion demanded. Each mani
mount consisted OF six or eight horses, ana
those the horse rustler herded, drove and
attended to generally, The rate OF travel
was about ton or twelve miles day. This
speed could be made without injury 10 the
cattle. But contract herd, - being driven
through for certain consideration for
some party personally unknown, was Often
put through nearly twice TINT fast
The cattle arc Thrown on the trailn "a
Craze u opOrtion Of each day. then thrown
On again at night to bed down, which they
will usual y do unless there is some disturb
| ing cause, "a hunger, thiist uverweari
ness, an approaching storm or something
TO frghten them. The riders are divided
into four night watches, or guards. Of tive
or three each, according to- their number
guarding two and one-half hours.
sINoISG TnK cATrIE 70 SLEEP.
Some cowboys and cattlemon laughingly
assured me that they only sing on watch
! to koc themselves awake; other say they
! sling, talk loud or make noise just 10 lei
the cnite know they are approaching, SC
as not TO irghton aud stampede thom; bul
the greater number hold--as | myself had
read aud been lcd 10 heliove-tha III,
sound OF the human voice singing, talking
or calling out cheorfully outlets and roas
aures the animals tlo ever II may be-
they all sing and talk or whistle
80
vivid and pictw like rooolloctions Is
ono OF a certain nighl When an aching hoad
and heavy heart held mo awake, aud
slipping from the house in the little urs
] went almlcssly across the level plain
toward whore q big herd was camped
When within three or four hundred yards
OF the bunch could see, under tho white
Texas moonlight, the dark mass Of cattle
] aud occasionally a silhouette, between me
and the sky, OF one OF the guards on his
l pony, and IN the Intense stiffness and lone
lincss Of the plains night, the singing o.
the one boyish voice holding Its untaught
UNCONSCIOUS way through "a Fountain
Filled With Blood and the playing OF hi,
COMPANION on a little harmonlcum, "Sweo
Homch as they came round past me il
turn, were as lovely and touching sounds a
1 ever beard.
But we are on the traii-as IL was In IN,
Wa lot US return to 1t.
I
The horses had need 10 DO pretty GOO
ano IN iair coalition, the men plucky, rcso
lute, reliable aud woll-armod, for on sort.
OF vicssituues, hardships aud dangers beaO
the Undertaking, from sudden storms and
siampedos long days without water wher
crossing arid districts, to cattle aud horse
thieves. hostile Indians and sometimes un
friendly, greedy aud not over honest poopl,
along the route, who oxacted an sorts OF
tolls and tribute from passing herds,
II a man had pretty good horses, six
elEht or ten rusty men, with plenty o.
nerve and ammunition and proficiency viii
shooting irons. whom he could count upon
70 stand up 10 him IN any emergency, h,
miRht, with iair hope OF success, refuse tn,
demands OF these various kinds OF shark
a'I9 oandits-not Otherwise
AFAvogirE TRICK
was TO secure from the stats, ferry ant
9rnge privileges on some treaeherons ant
dihcalt river which the trail crossed. thor
onN, lease or otherwise obtain p0ssessior
OF ana fence IN the and ali up and aowr
fNA IftNsr tgftnfslt -