The border vidette., 1932-11-26
ARE THERE ANY MORE REAL
COWROYS

0CStWulIo WIN WCSt - JuSu Ou0
great, expansive motion picture
set, one coiorful bit of stage
scenery for dude ranch actors to
play on. Fiction writer's, movie
producers and chambers Of com
merce have unwittingly combin.
ed to spread this impression.
But don't you believe it
The mesquite thickets are full
of cowboys, real ones! So are
the hills and the gulches and the
grassy prairies.
But the point is this-the west
ern cowboy is not the romantic
colorful individual whom you
have been hearing about. He's
just common, good hearted old
plug ugly from the cowpens,
who hasn't had press agent.
You want statistics about IL?
Proof?
Were you under the impression
tnat the fancy silk shirted,
creampuff type of cowboy" you
see in the movies was actually
the fellow who punched steers ?
There aren't any real statistics
about cowboys, but there is some
/ good evidence. Nobody ever had
occasion to around West Texas,
Kansas. Oklahoma, Nebraska
and such places counting the
ranch hands. Not even Uncle
Sam, when be took the census,
could do good job of it,
First of all. censustaker
would inevitably make many
listings of rural professions. The
congenital difference between a
cowboy" and farm hired hand
is about nil, anyway. The for
mer just sounds more romantic.
But here's good guess-a
conservative estimate" ventur-
ed by q statistician for the Unit.
ed States Department. of Agrl-
culture whose business is study
log and reporting on western
ranges. and who gets about the
cattle country perhaps as much
as any other one man.
I'D say there were a half mil
lion sure 'nough ranchers and
cowboys engaged in the business
OF raising Americas beef" said
be.
The train tourist or the motor
ist doesn't have much of a
chance. ia passing through the
open West, to determine whether
or not the. real cowboy is still q
part of the picture. A cowboy
hand may greet him at Two
Guns junction huge hats. red
silk bandanas, green shirt, twin
pistols, high heeled boots), but
the bandmen neglect to bring
along the cows.
The local chamber of com
merce probably hired them (from
Los Angeles or Holly wood) and
costumed them. That's hospit
able and fine, but
The honest to goodness COW.
boys are still there. too; big,
lanky, dusty fellows working
like slaves from around 4 q. %.
! till after sunset for maybe $40 a
mouth. and if they didn't do it
your daily beefsteak in the city
would be hard to fnd and high
to buy.
Those dude cowpunchers who
rarely punch cows owe their
very professions to their obscure
brothers sweating and riding
and toiling unheralded and un
sung. The business of cattle
ranching is bigger today than it
ever was.
Nursing Cows Is No Fun
Cows must be nursed-often
literally nursed just like humans
when they are babies, and
must be constantly guarded and
worked for and fought for until
they are delivered at the slaught
er pens. It is hard, hard work,
but somebody has to do it.
Getting out of bed at 1 o'clock
in the morning can be poetic, or
it can be downright burdensome,
and one suspects that the COW.
band sees little poetry 10 it. He
does not do it in order to siho.
uette bis and bis horse's form art
istically against the golden sun
rise; be does it because his boss
said so. Aud because be may
have to ride one, two or ten
miles to the part of the range on
which be is working.
Where Water IS Precious
All dav long be 'eats" alkali: