Changing life of Cowboys

• Main types of cowboys

  • Cowboys on the long drive
  • Cowboys working on ranches
• Cowboys on the long drive

  1. Drive around three thousand cattle to rail heads and ranches

  2. This could take between three and six months to achieve

  3. About 12 cowboys supervise the cattle with an outfit leader in charge

  4. Outfit leader decides where to camp

  5. Supported by a chuck wagon with food, water, and a cook

  6. Dangers include stampeding cattle, wild animals, conflict with Indians

  7. Cowboys had to pay fees to cross Indian territory

  8. Fights broke out when fees weren't paid

  9. End of the trail involves selling, inspecting, and loading cattle onto boxcars

  10. Most cowboys earned between 25 and 30 dollars a month
• Cowboys on the long drive

  • Supervise cattle in an outfit with an outfit leader in charge
  • Decide where to camp
  • Supported by a chuck wagon with food, water, and a cook
  • Face dangers like stampeding cattle, wild animals, conflict with Indians
  • Had to pay fees to cross Indian territory
  • End of the trail involves selling, inspecting, and loading cattle onto boxcars
  • Earned between 25 and 30 dollars a month
• Cowboys developed distinctive equipment for the job on the long drive
• Many cowboys were black former slaves and free men
• The lasso was a rope and loop used for rounding up wayward cattle and pulling them out of difficulty
• Cowboys required protection from the sun and rain on the long drive
• Protective equipment for cowboys on the long drive

  • Broad stiff hat like the Stetson
  • Bowler hat
  • Heavy leather boots and chaps
  • Denim jeans
• The saddle was more important to most cowboys than their horse
• Cowboys were usually armed to protect themselves from wildlife, Indians, and bandits
• Violence on the long drive has been somewhat exaggerated
• Cowboys on the long drive had both a pistol and a rifle
• Cowboys needed all the equipment for protection and practicality on the long drive
• At the end of the trail, cowboys would have the kettle sold, inspected, and loaded onto the boxcars
• Most cowboys earned between 25 and 30 dollars a month, which was a reasonable wage for the time
• Cowboys often spent all their money on drink, gambling, and women, leading to wild parties
• Cowboys would often have to restart the process of earning money after spending all their wages
• Cowboys' reputation for rowdiness and drunken behavior came from their wild parties and spending habits
• Most cowboys were employed in the summer only, making it seasonal work
• Few cowboys employed in winter cared for the cows, digging them out of snow drifts and breaking through ice for watering holes
• The spring roundup involved cowboys finding the cattle, branding new calves with the ranch logo, and rescuing lost cattle
• Ranch life was hard work, and cowboys lived together in a bunkhouse
• Cowboys had to follow strict rules if they were living on the ranch
• Cowboys would try to organize local dances and social events to meet other people, especially women
• The long drive demanded specialist skills and equipment, culminating in a rowdy lifestyle at the end of the drive
• On the ranches, cowboys' lives were more regulated and orderly as the cattle industry developed
• The long drive died out as work on the ranch took over