Famous American Cowboys

In 1519 the first horses were put ashore for Hernando Cortes. Some escaped, and their descendants would run on the plains of North America in vast herds. In 1521 Gregorio de Villalobos brought the Andalusian Longhorn breed to Mexico. Cattle that were abandoned in northwest Mexico ran wild and quickly multiplied in the country. Horses were needed to herd wild cattle, their riders were called vaqueros. The Mexican words were carried over to the American cowboys (p.12). The practices of branding, roundup, and roping all originated from Andalusia. The end of the Civil War found huge herd of longhorns as railroads were built into Kansas to supply beeves to the northern market (p.13). Shorthorn cattle from the Pacific were cross-bred with longhorns to provide superior beef (p.16). The cowboys of legend brought beef from Texas to Kansas where it sold for ten times its original cost. There is still no substitute for a cowboy on a horse to herd cattle on the open range. The killing off of the vast buffalo herds meant space for cattle. "The Texas Cattle Baron" tells of cattle ranching from the 1850s to the 1870s. Commercial rivalry and cattle stealing continued until it was eliminated by force. "The Working Cowboy" tells how many tried to make a fortune from cattle on the open range. The adventures of Charles A. Siringo provide a typical life of those days. "The Cattle Baron, Northern Style" tells about the states north of Texas. British investors bought cattle for these lands, until the harsh winter of 1886-87 killed vast numbers of cattle. The big ranchers hired gunmen to kill off small ranchers and homesteaders (p.37). This was the famous Johnson County War. "The Cowboy Gone Wrong" says the stories about dueling cowboys was an invention of lurid fiction. Of the 25 men killed in 1872 Dodge City Kansas all but one were gamblers and gangsters, like the shoot-outs during Prohibition or the warring drug-dealers in today's cities (p.41). A shotgun or rifle was preferred over a pistol. There were those who worked on both sides of the law, like Tom Horn (pp.44-53). "The Cowboy and Lawman" says that famous lawmen were rarely working cowboys. Did Governor Lew Wallace arrest John Slaughter so he could steal his herd of cattle (p.56)? John Slaughter became a very effective Sheriff of Cochise County (pp.57-60). "The Cowboy as Artist" tells of Frederic Remington, the most famous of all western artists. His art pictures some violent act in a romantic setting, accurate but imagined. Remington documented the fast disappearing Western frontier. "The Black Cowboy" reminds us that about one-third of the cowboys were Mexican, Indian, or Afro-American. The talented George McJunkin discovered fossils and bones at Folsom New Mexico (pp.71-72). "The Cowboy as Showman" tells about the Wild West shows that entertained Easterners. Will Rogers gained fame with his skill with a lariat in show business (pp.75-77), more fame as a humorist (pp.78-79). "The Cowboy as Rodeo Star" tells