Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-03


this city from a ranch hundreds of
miles away by the same method that cattle
were brought to market in the days before
the railroads were built.
Although rail route was available, and,
although it would have gotten the cattle in
fraction of the time they actually occu-
pied IN getting here, this herd was driven
overland as millions of cattle were driven in
the early days. Half a dozen cowboys, with
pack outfit to carry their supplies and
beds, drifted the cattle slowly across the
mountain and plain, letting them Craze there
every evening, "riding herd" upon them
every night to guard against theft and stam-
pede, carrying out every detail of the tech
nique that was evolved when the whole west
was one vast open range without a rail
upon it,
It was a restoration of an ancient and
picturesque scene, but it was not staged for
any sentimental reason. These cattle were
driven to market overland for the good prac-
teal reason that they were in that way
brought to their destination for about one
fourth of what it would have cost to ship
them by rail. 1t looks as though inordinate-
ly high freight rates might bring back into
use the 'Hong trail over which the nations
beef travelled to market unde it's own power
for more than half century.
The cowboy is such typically and tradi-
tionally yankee figure that many Americans
do not realize that the American cattle bust
ness is really Mexican in it's origin and moved
slowly from the far south to the north. In
the early part of the last century there were
no cattle in all of the west north of the Rio
Grande Down in old Mexico, on the other
hand, there were enormous herds of scrubby
longhorn stock which had been introduced by
the Spaniards many generations before.
Meantime a hungry yankee civilization
was growing up in the eastern half of the
continent. Cattle were raised on the eastern
farms, but not nearly enough of them to feed
this growing nation. Enterpris1ng yankees
down in the southwest began to see that
there was future in the raising of cattle in
the west for sale in the east. Accordingly
they began stealing the herds of the Mexf-
cans, bringing them across the Rio Grande
and founding herds Of their own in Texas
They not only found it easy to steal cattle,
but they also found that when these cattle
were brought north they grew larger and
fatter than ever they had on the hot south
ern ranges.
When Beef Was Cheap
1t was easy to get the cattle and easy to
raise them, but reaching the market was an
other matter Attempts were made to drive
| them across to Louisiana and sell them, and
also to ship, them from gulf ports to eastern
markets, but all of these attempts failed.
When the Civil war broke out the plains Of
Texas were swarming with cattle for which
there was no market Their owners had I'M
limited beef but very little money. You
could buy cow for dollar.
During the war these herds were forgotten
and multiplied INTENDED. After the war the
plains swarmed with unbranded cattle worth
little or nothing. Men of foresight hired
cowboys and began rounding up and brand
ing this wild stock. 1t was exciting bust
ness, for the cattle were as wild as deer. A
COW or calf belonged to the man who could
put his brand on it first. Incidentally, the
way was prepared for the long war between
the rustlers and the cattle barons which
presently began Soon the men who had be-
gun early had great herds under their own
brands, viii lie the newcomers had none.
They wanted to continue the business of
branding stock whenever it was found I'M
branded. Owners of cattle chose now to re-
gard this as theft Hence war which con-
tinued for quarter Of a century.
Meantime the herds pushed steadily far
Their and farther north. The cattle trail
which led across the Rio Grande and the
plains of Texas steadily extended north
along the eastern edge of the Rocky noun
tains. And as the herds moved north, the
markets for cattle increased and with them
the value Of cattle. The great transconti-
mental railroads were now building and had
founded western terimini at Dodge City,
Wichita, Newton and other towns in Kansas.
These became shipping points for cattle, and
incidentally they became about the widest
towns that ever graced the earth. Besides
stockyards and cattle shutes, each of them
had whole streets of saloons, gambling joints
and dance halls, established for the enter