Though the occupation and lifestyle originated in Mexico, American cowboys exemplified the kind of spirit that shaped our nation, and to this day, Texas is the cowboy capital of the world. While their ascendancy spanned a relatively short time in history, cowboys have since been celebrated ubiquitously in popular culture for the freedom, natural living, and romance of the Old West.
In the 21st century, opportunities may have shifted, but the American Cowboy is still very much a part of life in Texas and those who have done it know how challenging the life can be.
BIRTH OF A LEGEND
New World explorers from Spain began building ranches in Mexico in 1519. Using animals brought from Spain, landowners trained Native Americans to ride their horses and handle the cattle. By the early 1700s, cattle ranching had spread north to lands destined to be Texas, and the riders, called vaqueros (from the Spanish word for cow; vaca), used braided rawhide reatas (the root word for lariat).
Over the next century, settlers continued to move westward and adopted cowboy culture and practices. Cowboys came from diverse backgrounds and included African-Americans, Native Americans, Mexicans and settlers from the eastern United States and Europe.
THE GOLDEN AGE
Though there were cowboys long before the cattle drives of the latter 19th century, the golden age of the American cowboy began in earnest after the Civil War. Prior to that, ranchers primarily raised cattle to eat and sell locally. Since Texas was home to vast herds of Longhorns and cattle that had been breeding and free-roaming for nearly 400 years, beef was veritably free for the taking. As a result, most of the legendary trails and cattle drives originated in Texas, heading north to the railroads of Kansas, which created opportunities for cowboys to make $19 to $40 a month driving them.
MODERN COWBOYS
Modern cowboy Sean Kampmeier is a former rodeo rider. He explains a bit about the arena lifestyle and some of its key players. At 41, he is ready for the ‘senior’ tour (over 40) despite many broken bones and being temporarily paralyzed. “On both sides of the fence, this is a family. Maybe I’m just a little nuttier than most, but the rodeo is different from every other sport. When I finish a ride, thrown or not, I get back on that gate or in the chute and help my buddies out. In any case, the camaraderie of the rodeo is unique. You want to win, but we’re all here pulling each others’ ropes and telling each other, ‘You better win this one!’ Basically, it beats a day job and I’m good at it.”
Over the years, the number of working cowboys has declined, but the occupation isn’t obsolete. The cowboy lifestyle and culture is still found in Texas, albeit to a lesser degree than a century ago. Working cattle is a year-round job that takes dedication and commitment to the well-being of all animals.
Cowboys continue to help run large ranches in Texas and other states, and according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2003 there were about 9,730 workers in the category “support activities for animal production,” which includes cowboys.
Oliver Loving (L) was a Texas pioneer in the cattle industry as early as 1845. He was the first to drive cattle to the northern markets of Illinois in 1855 and Colorado in 1860. In 1866 he and Charles Goodnight set out with 2,000 cattle and 18 riders to blaze the Goodnight-Loving Trail from Texas to Colorado. This went on to be a well-traveled route to both Colorado and Wyoming.
Charles Goodnight (R) was a cattleman, rancher, philanthropist. He started as a cowboy, joined the Texas Rangers, blazed the Goodnight-Loving trail, became a rancher at Palo Duro Canyon, and was one of the most wealthy cattle barons of his time. Goodnight crossed longhorns with Herefords to produce a more commercial breed of cattle. He also was instrumental in saving the few remaining herds of Buffalo from extinction. In their later years, Goodnight and his wife Molly founded Goodnight College.
Loving and Goodnight were loosely represented as Gus McCrae and Woodrow F. Call in Larry McMurtry’s “Lonesome Dove”.
Bill “Bulldogger” Pickett was a cowboy of African and Native American descent. He worked as a ranch hand at a young age. By studying the way herding dogs subdued steers, Bill developed a cowboy technique for wresting and controlling them (including biting their upper lip), which became part of ranch and rodeo history and was called “bulldogging.”
His abilities brought him respect and renown, and before long he was performing with the “101 Ranch Wild West Show” in Oklahoma, often receiving top billing despite Will Rogers’ participation in the shows. He was the first Black American to be inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1971.