Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-20
NF the dimming trails Of
other days in the old west

W1Cn HOIC kI01IIOuA VI AOAAA0A1NO
than the old Texas Trail, over
which the long-horn cattle of
the southwest were driven
from the Guadalupe river as
far north. almost, as the Cana
dian line to stock the great
grass ranges Of the central
west and the northwest and
transform a vast buffalo coun-
try into an enormous cattle and
sheep breeding range. For a
decade and a half, from about
1870 to 1885, the Texas trail
had it's days of glory and
served it's purpose. Then came
the "nester" with his wire
fences around the water holes
and state quarantine laws, and
the trail was closed to the long
horns and the cowpunchers.
Today it lives only in the men,
cries of a few fast-disappearing
grizzled veterans Of the cow
days.
At the COW mans conventions that
have succeeded the old roundups you
may occasionally hear a couple of old
cattle men living over the trail days
again, and if you listen you are likely
to get q few thrills from the tales told,
for never did peril and adventure, COM
edy and tragedy. follow one another
more rapidly than along the trail
across the continent from the south
west.
During the Civil war and for sew
eral years afterward cattle in Texas
increased by the hundreds Of thou
sands, but it was not till 1870 that
the growers could find a market for
them, following the settlement of the
Indian question, whereby the red men
of the southwest were forced to 60
either into Indian territory or on re-
servations north of the Platte river.
nings.
At first it started from southern
Texas and ran north and east, the
first herds striking the railroads at
Caldwell, Kansas, and some going as
far north as Lincoln, Nebraska, which
formed the terminus between 1870 and
1873. In 1874 the end of the trail was
moved farther west to Lowell, on the
Platte river. In those days the cattle
were either shipped in July from the
Platte to Chicago or sold to settlers
in eastern Nebraska for $40 or $12 a
head, mostly or time payments.
Cattle Go North
In 1878 the treaty with the Sioux
Indians was made and in 1879 more
than SOC. 900 cattle went up the trail
and crossed the North Platte river
into Nebraska and Wyoming. The trail
then crossed the Red river. continuing
to Dodge City and north to Ogalalla.
The first cattle outfits that took
the trail in 1871 were described as
tough" In fact the men had to be
tough as hickory knots to stand the
hardships. There was usually an old
confederate wagon with a negro cook
and a span of work bulls. Little bed
ding was carried and no tents. The
food taken along consisted of sorghum
mOllases, beans, bacon and plenty of
salt, but no sugar. A few years later
the trail outfits were considerably i'm
proved. The equipment usually con-
sisted of Il mess wagon with a four
horse team. bed wagons that carried
the 'tarps' and blankets, slickers,
better food and-lots of salt. A trail
outfit was made up Of from nine to II
men. including the wagon boss, cook,
horse wrangler and six or eight cow
punchers, usually the latter number.
Two of these rode on the lead, or
point, two on the flangs, two on the
Swing and two drag drivers.
At his cattle ranch in Fergus county,
Montana. known as the Three Deuce
because of his brand, lives f. G. Alb
bolt, better known as Teddy Blue"
who is probably the foremost living
authority on the Texas trail and its
history. /
II learned all the arts of the cow
puncher in 1871 from Sam Bass, a
noted train rObber, who worked on my
fathers ranch" said Abbot recently,
in talking over old times on the range.
Sam Bass, although a road agent and
bad man, was quite q popular figure
among cowpunchers, and after his
career was cut short the well known
cowboy song that was sung on every
cattle range in America was composed.
There were verses innumerable, the
first one running:
Sam Bass was born in Indiana; /
It was his native home,
And at the age of seventeen,
1Oung Sam began to roam. i
He started out for Texas,
A cowboy for to.be:
A better-hearted teller
You'd seldom ever see.' !
Not a Bed Of Roses
1T recited in much detail the various
exploits of Sam, and likewise his
tragic ending. 1t was perhaps the best 4.
known cowboy song in the old days.
Life on the trail in the early los
wasn't exactly a bed of roses. The
boys would start north with from 1,5OO : I
to 1000 cattle that were wild as buff +,
falOs and take them a thousand miles 1
through an unknown country. Some-
times a sudden electric storm at night i
or some other cause would start q {
stampede and then it was up to every /
man on guard to risk his life to hold 4
the herd. Sometimes Indians or a I
gang of Mexicans would slip up near G
the cattle on fast horses. pop q blanket t
in the darkness and start q stampede l
of the lOnghorns and try to run them v
off. Not infrequently gun fights would I
follow and perhaps daybreak would T
show a few Mexicans or Indians dead |
on the prairie.
When a stampede started the cow {
boys guarding the herd would pull their b
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