The Ely miner., 1932-10-28
Apart Of the Goodnight Herdof Buffalo

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Apart Of the Goodnight HerdofBufalo
own to attend to when he sought their COOP
Grafton. They only the danger connected
with the venture, and excused themselves.
But young Goodnight found a partner. He
was Oliver Loving, who became of his
closest companions. Loving probably the
most experienced cowman in Texas at the time.
In 1852 while the Comanches were quiet he
had taken a herd through to Colorado on di-
rect route. Young Goodnight had helped him
out of the timber country as far as Red river.
Loving also had trailed cattle into Illinois and
to the New Orleans markets. He asked to go
with Goodnight on his trail-blazng venture.
Goodnight had prepared a huge bois dare
wagon, requiring twenty oxen to pull, which
he believed the first chuck wagon ever seen in
the COW country. Each gathered up his
own cattle, making a combined herd of some
thousand head of mixed stuff They started in
June, with eighteen adventursome COW hands,
The first several weeks the driving was un-
eventful, but the mixed herd proved an awk-
ward thing. cow does not keep pace with
steer, and young calf hardly keeps step at all.
The hands were forced to kill hundreds of new
born calves.
Il hated to kill the innocent things" said the
colonel. "But there was no loss financially, as
the calf was not counted in the sale of the
COW. But we had so much trouble determined
never again to trail mixed herd the Pecos
route, and never did However 1 trailed many
cattle over other routes When cattle got more
valuable. had special wagon beds built long
enough to haul thirty or forty calves. The
wagons would pick up calves they were
dropped, and at night the calves were turned
out with their mothers, to be roped in the morn
ing and put back into the wagons which fol-
lowed along with the herd"
TNro;li lipr DIFF Goo fock
up the Middle Concho river to it's headwaters,
the Loving-Goodnight herd paused long enough
at the water to ''put good fill on the CATTLE"
then was pointed straight at the setting sun
for the dry drive across the ninety-six miles of
alkali desert to the Pecos. Three days and three
nights were required for that drive and during
that time no slept except on horseback.
Three hundred cattle perished of thirst on the
way.
East Of the Pecos were alkali lakes and the
cattle had to be veered past them lest they
drink the water and die
Cattle" Colonel Goodnight said, could
smell the waters Of the Pecos seven or eight
miles Once they fairly sensed it, all hands
were needed to hold them back. Before we got
within smelling distance would pluck a few
hairs from my horse and drop them in the air
to see which way the breeze was blowing Then
l veered the herd to miss the scent of the al
kali water"
When the herd reached the Pecos 1t swan
across and back without pausing to drink.
little rest and the herd followed up the
Pecos, north and west. Fort Sumner was
sighted two months after leaving Palo Pinto
county.
On the whole trip not Indian had been
sighted Through 600 miles of totally unin-
habited country a new route for Texas cattle
had been blazed, Immediately becoming known
as the Goodnight trail, the first and greatest
of the colonels trail breaking achievements.
Later it was extended through the Ration noun
tains, past Pueblo and Denver and into Chey-
enne and Fort Laramie. Three hundred thou
sand cattle passed over it in six years. while
thousands pershed the way or fell into the
hands of the Comanches.
When Goodnight arrived at Fort Sumner he
found the government had 1900 Apaches loose
herded like cattle" there. Loving and Good
night sold their cattle two years old and up on
the hoof for eight cents pound, an enormous
price for the time. Loving took the stock cat
tie cut back by the government into Colorado
and Goodnight took a part of the hands and
$4,000 in gold and silver, and returned to Palo
Pinto county. There he purchased extensively
of his neghbors and trailed back over the route
he had marked out
It was in the spring of 1867 that Loving lost
his life. The partners started with two herds,
the two men going ahead with the first one The
second herd, made up of weaker cattle, lost
1000 head to the Comanches before it had
reached the Pecos. Another band of Indians
attacked Goodnight and Loving on the Clear
fork of the Brazos. Joe Loving, who was no
relation to Oliver Loving. was shot In the neck,
the herd stampeded and 100 head Of cattle
ran out. Goodnight pulled arrow out Of
Loving's neck with pair Of nippers and Joe
got well.
After the herd had been driven about 100
Oliver Loving decided to take man and go
ahead to Fort Sumner. One-Armed Bill Wilson,
the coolest head In the outfit" according to
Colonel Goodnghts description, was selected
as escort. What happened on the trip is still
an epic of the cow camps.
The second day out, In the southern part of