How did cowboys travel?

[4pwr]

How many westerns have you seen that open with a cowboy sitting at a campfire. Around the campfire is a bedroll that if you slept in you would be cold unlees in august. He has a coffee pot and a frying pan and cup and plate. He then breaks camp puts the fire out(never see any firewood and I know how much it takes to feed a fire) with leftover coffee from pot. Was coffee cheap and I only see a small canteen of water only going to do that once . Next scene will show him bucklin up his saddle bags and riding off. I've got saddle bags,they ain't gonna hold food,water,cooking utensil,plus lord knows what. So my question is,you are a cowboy roaming around the west looking for work. Just what did you carry? I sure don't think you carried what it takes to live .

[Capt Hamp Cox]

I think you more than likely carried enough food to get you to the next source of a meal, be it a line shack, chuck wagon, ranch, town, etc.  Most folks were pretty hospitable about providing a meal to travelers in return for whatever news and company they might provide.  And, if you were smart, you'd take non-perishable eats like biscuits/light bread, jerky, and some cans of tomatoes or fruit (the latter provided both liquid and nourishment) none of which need a fire for cooking (which would let the hostiles know you're in the area).  Was also pretty important to have an idea where you could find drinkable water along the way.  A canteen can get you (and your horse) only so far.  If you had to spend the night under the stars, you probably wore long johns pretty much year round, and if traveling, you would probably have a rain slicker you could wrap up in (as well as the saddle blanket) to supplement your bedroll and help keep the chill out.

[Shorty]

Other than in Hollywood, most real old-time cowboys were recruited in town or off their own farms/ranches.  IF they had their own horse or saddle, fine, but usually they were hired much like todays day-working wetbacks!  Sorry if that's not romantic, but the image of the free, drifter cowboy came after the "great cowboy layoff' of 1881 (not sure of the year).  That's when a hard winter put many ranches out of business and many cowboys turned to crime(  Ref. "Tom Horn") for lack of work.  :shock:

[williamlayton]

It was common, if one was strikin out fer any distance, to have a pack horse/mule as a means of carrying tha necessities.
If ya was goin from tha east side of Texas to tha west maps, word of mouth gave you a trail (road), water locations, perhaps who lived along tha way.
It was not uncommon for those boys to make such a trip and they could make 50 miles a day, more if'n they was in a hurry or sumthin was encouragin em from behind.
There is some interesting writings bout those boys that did surveying fer roads an such back in that 30's an 40's. RIP did that from El Paso to Austin fer a road. Interesting read bout life on that trip.
Blessings

[Chargar]

On most cattle drives, the owners provided  heard of horses. According to the trail drivers pecking order, each drover cut our 4 or 5 head for his use on the drive. At trails end, the horses were sold and the cowboy sewed his saddle in a canvas sack and freighted it back home. The cowboys then caught a train home as close as they could get and then either walked the rest of the way or caught a ride in a wagon or whatever.

As other pointed out the drifting cowboy was mainly a myth. When traveling light they did not cook, but ate hardtack and canned food. They didn't carry camping and cooking gear.

[williamlayton]

Hey Chargar
you is real close to tha big ranch down there. I aint never been to that museum thay have down there at Kingsville. Why doan ya check it out fer us an see if they got any good info fer us bout this, well that is if'n ya aint already or ya doan mind. Kinda looks like i'm bein lazy agin an askin fer sumbody to do my work fer me.
Ifn ya can't I'm plannin a trip thru that part here soon, wanna talk to Benny Hill and then ride tha river from brownsville up to tha north an see if'n i can see some of tha old spots. I like that part of tha country.
A small PS--I like tha fishin down there too.
Blessings

[BillP]

travel in those days was dependent mostly on where the RR went and where it didn't.  If your destination was on the RR you perhaps only took your saddle, renting or buying a horse.  Many trains had livestock cars so you could walk "Trigger" up the ramp, get him settled down, then go to the coach and ride in comfort.
Camping out was not usually necessary as every little town had rooms for rent and they were cheep.  (Don't expect clean sheets.)  Traveling cross country where no accommodations were available meant a pack horse or two and an extra saddle horse if you wanted to make time.

[CowboyEngr]

True, reality cowboy travel did not resemble Hollywood.  Most cowboys were expected to provide their own saddle & tack, but rode a "string" provided by their employer.  If they were unemployed and taveling, they either went by train or purchased their own horse.  If they could afford a saddle horse, they likely could afford a pack horse.  If they were to take a one horse overnighter, they took a canteen, rifle, ammo, biscuit (or something), and maybe 2-3 lbs. of oats.  The horse grubbed off the ground and if the path was not along a river, the horse drank again the next day (maybe).  Most foot or horseback travel was up and down waterways and by 1880, settlements and farms were somewhat common along those waterways.  In winter, most people didn't travel much, and other times of year the bedroll WAS the saddle blanket and slicker.  Also, the winter that wiped out many of the big spreads was 1886, I believe.

[FourBee]

Here's a picture of a 1870's Cowboy.   He's wearing a wool looking jacket, big leather gloves, full featured chaps, a slicker is over his saddle bags, big rowel spurs, big brim hat, and notice a pair of binoculars in a case hanging around the saddle horn, a large wool blanket under the saddle, a rope that looks like a well rope, a long barreled scabbard rifle carried in front of the saddle, and a holstered revolver on his belt, upon an average looking and probably a good cow horse.

[hillbill]

yu have to remember that cowboys of that day and time were rather tough. sleeping cold and eating and drinking only bout once a day was how they growed up.it was a life and it stunk, thats why that type of cowboy has almost died out.

[hillbill]

4 bee, jus wanted to add, most people dont realize, but thats what a horse in good working condition looks like. like a athlete, as does the rider.bet he or it didnt eat more than once a day lol

[FourBee]

hillbill ;  you're right about the condition those two were in.   Now days an average man and horse are a tad overweight to begin with.   And what calf roper could use a rope like the one in the picture with the same expertise as those cowpokes back in that era?

I got to adding up the cost of this guy's outfit and gear.   You know, today he'd have to have quite a lot of cash to cover those expenses.

[hillbill]

curious about the forward pointing rifle sheath, if i was a old time cowboy id do it that way cuz when i rope sumpin the rope tends to pull across the flank of the horse across the hindquarters of the horse. wich would not be good for a rifle sheath pointing backwards in the traditional way.is this why yu see it that way?when i rope a cow it is because i want to pull it in a certain direction it dont want to go in.that would tend to be hard on a backward pointing rifle sheath.just curious, love to hear yu guys outlook on this.

[FourBee]

 

Posted by: hillbill     curious about the forward pointing rifle sheath

From what I gather about the placement of the forward mounted rifle scabbard is that the rifle is more apt to stay holstered in rough riding situations.  Many a rifle has been lost out of a rear mounted scabbard during a hard run, jump, or steep incline.  So a horse rigged with a scabbard in this manner shows the best placement in most riding scenarios.

**  Also it's worthy to note that all his usable riggs are on the off side.  Rifle, Handgun, and Rope.  To many tools at his working side could be disastrous real quick-like.

[Buckwheat Jack]

Not sure about real old cowboys. But I used to visit a lot with a feller who was a working cowboy before WWII. His bedroll consisted of a waterproff tarp long enough to lay on and then cover up with as well as a good blanket. He said he could tie it up around a small skillet and a small coffee pot along with a littl coffee, maybe a can or two of fruit, some bacon and biscuits. Knowing him, if he had had a pack animal, he would have carried t mobile bunkhouse.

[Swampman]

Many real Cowboys didn't own a horse or even a gun.  The chuck wagon carried everything they needed.

[hillbill]

Many real Cowboys didn't own a horse or even a gun.  The chuck wagon carried everything they needed.

swampman is probably correct. yu know in those days if a remember right, a good pistol cost about a months wages. how many pistols would you have if a decent one cost what yu make in a month?i would love to see a catalog from colt or winchester etc and see just what guns cost in those days.ill bet a winnie 73 cost a couple months wages at least.and yu got to remember also, these were cowboy and that doesnt necessarily make them gun enthusists.

[FourBee]

As Swampman said, most cowboys didn't own their horses.   Seems like I read that when they 1st came out, a new SA Colt .45 cost $10 .

[Rex in OTZ]

Cow hands were like women.
they stuck thru abusive relationships (employers) to have a meal and roof overhead, and like women they left when there was a better place to move to.
May be they dident own a horse or other gear, would have been simple to walk or catch a ride with a farmer or freighter.
Most them ole boys saw what happened when caught out in the open on your own, bet lots of bodies were found on the plains in the late 1800's, maybe some had arrows scatterd in the bone's, fella had to have a fall back, instead of being broke out on your own, in days before unemployment and living assistance having no job could be your life if nature wernt on the same page as you.

[Dee]

The cowboy "era" only lasted about 35 years. Most "stock handlers", i.e. cowboys travelled like anyone else would travel. The cowboy in the pic, I suspect is not cowboyin as much as he is "poseing". Long guns were not a handy item to have on a horse, and the rope in the pic was not for ropin calves, as much as it was for ropin what ever needed pullin out of a bog, or what ever. Ropin calves is tricky if the calf has to walk away from the experience. I have seen a many a back hock broke at a arena ropin from the calf being flipped over backwards when the brakes were applied on the horse.
In 1970 at age 20 I quit rodeoin and decided to cowboy full time. I was hired on the to the Bunker Hunt Ranch west of Gunter Texas for $1.21 an hour. The job started before daylight, and ended way after dark provided you were finished.
It was a cow-calf operation, and Ihad 35 sacks of rangecubes loaded into my pickup, and two horses saddled and loaded in the trailer every morning before daylight. When my partner was able to get out of bed after being drunk most of the night he would climb into the pickup and sleep the first 3 hours of checkin pastures. It was a seven day a week job, with the only day off being Christmas, sickness, of if you quit or died. I worked there a year, and by that time the glamor had worn off.

[Cherokee Mike]

In one of Larry McMurtry's western novels, which seem to be authentic, he mentions cowboys who would place a wrapped piece of beefsteak between the saddle blanket and the saddle of their horses in the morning.  At the end of a long day of riding, the heat from the horse would slowly cook the meat. 

I had never heard of this before, but I guess it's possible (provided you liked your meat rare).   He used a term such as "cowboy cooking" or something like that.  Has anybody ever heard of this before?

[hillbill]

In one of Larry McMurtry's western novels, which seem to be authentic, he mentions cowboys who would place a wrapped piece of beefsteak between the saddle blanket and the saddle of their horses in the morning.  At the end of a long day of riding, the heat from the horse would slowly cook the meat. 

I had never heard of this before, but I guess it's possible (provided you liked your meat rare).   He used a term such as "cowboy cooking" or something like that.  Has anybody ever heard of this before?

ive never heard of american cowboys cooking their meat in such a fashion. however i have read of the mongol warriors cooking in such a fashion.i dont think it was really cooking, jus adding a bit of salty sweat and tang to their raw meat.it stands to reason and ive been there, if yu ride long enuf, yull eat about anythi.ng

[Oldshooter]

An ole cowboy told me that a horseman could travel 20 miles a day and 30 if needed with no ill effects on a horse. He also told me thats  why a lot of "towns were that distance apart.

Putting a steak under a horse blanket?  then eating it. Havn't been that hungry yet!   Yyyyuuuuuccckkkk!   

[FourBee]

   

by: Oldshooter   An ole cowboy told me that a horseman could travel 20 miles a day and 30 if needed with no ill effects on a horse.

I don't know about the horse, but the rider might have something to say about that.
When I was 15, Dad had just purchased a couple of horses, so I mount up on one that was overweight and out of shape.  Left out of Tulare, CA early that morning and several hours later I reached my brothers ranch in the hills of Lindsay, CA., about a twenty (+) mile ride.   Stayed the weekend and headed back home.  I didn't do that again, I was beat.

[Oldshooter]

but the rider might have something to say about that.

No kiddin!!     first time I rode for a whole day, I was so sore that I couldn't walk straight the next day. dont recall how many miles we traveled but my behind figgered it to be too many! 

[Range Rider]

For the most part cowboys or drovers were just poor farm boys working for nothing.  They did not own a horse or a firearm.  Some of the Texas drovers working their way north to Wyoming and Montana did so barefooted.  They did not own any kind of foot ware.  Many of these fellows lost toes to frost bit.  The wearing of firearms was done in areas where there were active range wars.  Pictures of the men in central Wyoming show them with gun belts etc. This was during the Johnson County War.  Most of the range wars were after the winter of 1885 when the open range grazing ended and the fences went up.  The cowboys were forced to travel after the winter of 1885 & 1886 to look for work.  Many of them got work on the rail roads and later the oil fields. The Hollywood version or Zane Grey cowboy is no where close to the real thing. They did not engage in endless gun fights or even own things of value.  The so called Cowboy Shooters of today shoot more in ammo in one day than a real drover made in a year.  The cost of 1 Box of .45 Colt ammo on the Wyoming Frontier in 1885 was equal to a months pay.

RR

[TheCoachZed]

The cost of 1 Box of .45 Colt ammo on the Wyoming Frontier in 1885 was equal to a months pay.

RR

  Think I'd have to see some numbers on that one to believe you. Not saying you aren't right, but that seems like a lot of money for ammo. At that price, nobody could have afforded it, and therefore it woulda died out . . .

[Range Rider]

Would have died out. There were few folks on the Wyomiing Frontier in the 1880s Fewer gun slingers.  The population of Wyoming todays is only about 450,000 permenate residents.  I doubt if everyone in this state stop buying .45s today no one would notice. A months pay was  $8.00 or less per month and grub. Many worked for shelter and food alone. Near Army Post you may have been able to get some ammo from the troopers. Not hard to understand. No Roy Rogers was not a real cowboy.

[TheCoachZed]

Then who was buying the .45 LC ammo in the first place? I can guarantee you the army wasn't paying a month's wages for a box of the stuff. Heck, Sportsman's Guide sells it for $18 a box right now. That's nowhere near the markup since the 1880's that everything else has seen. The pistols are probably 50 times higher in price ( I can't own one up here without an RPAL, so I don't know sticker price).

I don't disagree that the west, especially the American West, has been highly romanticized into a pile of glamorous gunslingers when all it was was mostly grimy grubstakers. And I doubt most of the revolvers on the frontier were even Peacemakers. But I can't see the .45 LC costing a month's wages, or nobody simply could have bought it, and therefore none would have been sold.....

You could be right on the Army giving out ammo.

[derfb1]

There were NOY many .45 pistols in the old west. There were several rifles like the 45-70 and the 45-90 rifle. Most folks did their own reloads and most had lead molds to make the bullet. I am 80 years old and I reloaded all thru the late 1940s and into the 1950s. I bought an RCBS reloader in the 1970s and just recently gave the equip. to a friend. In 1938 I paid 20 cents for a box of .22 shells for my rabbit rifle. So the fellow above is way off on his cost of ammo in the 1880s.  Derfb1