Copyright 1995-2005 - Chuck Pritchard

POETS, BARDS & LIARS

The emigrants had begun to move westward in the 1840's and resourceful Texans drove their cattle along the Shawnee, or Kansas, Trail to the Missouri markets. The Shawnee Trail began in southwestern Texas, crossed the Nueces, Colorado, Brazos, Trinity, Red, Canadian and Arkansas Rivers. After crossing the Arkansas, the trail forked with the left going to Kansas City, Mo. and the right to Sedalia, Mo.

After the Civil War, the Texans returned home to find large herds of cattle grazing the plains and untouched by a branding iron. Again they began to gather and move the herds to market. The most popular trail was the Chisolm, which had originally been marked as a wagon road in 1832 by Jesse Chisolm. The Chisolm Trail began in southwestern Texas, crossed the Nueces, Colorado, Brazos, Trinity, Red, Washita, Canadian, North Canadian, Cimarron and Arkansas rivers and on into Abilene and Ellsworth, Kansas.

The Goodnight-Loving Trail started at the headwaters of the Concho River and ran west across the Pecos River, then turned north to cross the Pecos again between Sante Fe and Ft. Sumner, New Mexico. The trail then went on to Pueblo, Colorado and Cheyenne, Wyoming.

In 1866, Nelson Story, a lucky miner, cashed in his Montana gold for 1,000 Longhorns at Ft.Worth, Texas and drove them north across Indian Territory. At the Kansas-Missouri border, his path was blocked by locals who were afraid that their stock would contract the Texas, or Spanish fever, a disease carried by ticks. Story turned west and then north for Montana, intent on selling his beef to gold miners. At Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, Story purchased wagons, hired Bullwhackers and continued along the Oregon Trail. At Ft. Laramie, Wyoming he was warned that the Powder River country was swarming with hostile Sioux. Story ignored the warning and when his cattle were stolen by Indians, he pursued and retrieved his stock. At Ft. Phil Kearney, Wyoming the commanding officer ordered Story to stop and spare his crew from certain death. Story camped outside the fort and waited until night before calling his crew together and pushing on, defying the officers orders. One man was sent ahead of the herd to pursue game for the crew and near the Yellowstone River, the hunter was attacked and killed by a band of about 15 Indians. This was the only life lost on the drive. The herd finally arrived at Virginia City, Montana in December and was the first drive to cross the Powder River country and turn a profit.

In 1866, Oliver Loving formed a partnership with Charles Goodnight and drove a herd across west Texas from the Nueces River to the Pecos River, 96 miles with no water, and then turned north into New Mexico and Colorado. Goodnight returned to Texas with $12,000 in gold packed on a mule.

In 1867 another herd was started west and the crew reached the Pecos River in late June. After turning north, and making another 100 miles, Loving was to go in advance of the herd and tend to business. Bill Wilson, described as a level and clear headed man, was selected to accompany Loving, who was described as a religious and brave man, but devoid of caution. Goodnight expressed his concern at the pair traveling through Indian country and that they should only travel by night. Loving detested night riding and after two days convinced Wilson that Goodnight was overly cautious, and that they should proceed at daylight. About two o'clock in the afternoon, Wilson sighted Comanches and the pair made for the Pecos River, about four miles distant, and hid among the sand dunes. Loving received a serious wound in his side and sustained a broken arm. Believing that he would perish from his wounds, Loving persuaded Wilson to leave him. Before dawn Wilson floated down the river, past the Indian guards and to safety. He wandered for days until he was found by Goodnight, who nursed him back to health. The crew searched for Loving's body but were unsuccessful and weeks later learned that Loving was in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico. The night after Wilson left, Loving also floated down the river and hid in the tall weeds all the next day. The following night he made his way to a road where he remained for five days until he was found by some traveling Mexicans, who he hired to take him to Ft. Sumner. The doctor at Ft. Sumner had never performed an amputation and did not want to begin with Loving's broken arm. Goodnight had already sent for a surgeon in Sante Fe but Loving's time ran out and he perished from a gangrenous arm.

In 1867 Joseph McCoy, a mule trader, realized that the Texas cattleman had need for a western terminal to ship cattle, by rail, to the Chicago and New York beef markets. He selected Abilene, Kansas as a location and met with the president of the Missouri-Pacific railroad. Dressed in his dusty trail clothes and tattered hat, he was promptly thrown out of the presidents office. He then arranged a meeting with the president of the Union-Pacific railroad and struck a deal where McCoy was to be paid $5 for every car load of cattle that departed the terminal. McCoy then purchased 230 acres west of Abilene, constructed a stockyard and sent representatives across the southwest to post handbills. The first herd, 2400 longhorns, arrived in the fall of 1867 and were accompanied by 44 cowhands and 100 horses. Within a year, Abilene was shipping thousands of cows daily and became the largest stockyard in the west. The cows were valued at $5 a head in Texas but brought $50 per head in Abilene at the end of the drive.

Arizona Cattle Co.

Known as the " AL Bar" and founded in 1883 by John W. Young, the son of a Morman leader. The main ranch headquarters was at Ft. Rickerson, about ten miles north of Flagstaff, with cattle ranging over 800 sections. The ranch went out of business in 1899.

Aztec Land & Cattle Co.

Known as the "Hashknife" and organized about 1883-84 with the headquarters on the Little Colorado River, near St. Joseph, Arizona. One of the most famous spreads in the Arizona Territory and in it's prime owned 80,000 head of cattle. The company failed about 1900.

John S. Chisum

Chisum was born in Tenn. in 1824 and the family moved west, to Paris,Tx., in the late 1830's. By the time Chisum was thirty he was an established cowman and in 1867 his herd numbered more than 10,000 head. He moved west to New Mexico, and set up headquarters at Bosque Grande, operating under the " Long Rail" brand, a gash running from shoulder to flank, and the "Jingle Bob" earmark. In 1872 he moved the headquarters to his South Spring Ranch, near Roswell, and by 1876 his herds covered the Pecos Valley Region. Chisum never married and died on 22 December, 1884. He was buried at Paris, Tx.

The King Ranch

Established in 1854 by Col. Richard King and originally named the Santa Catrudos, operating under the "Running W" brand. Located on the San Catrudos River in south Texas and encompassing 84,000 acres. About 1880 the ranch had around 65,000 head of cattle, 10,000 horses, 7,000 sheep, 8,000 goats and a string of 1,000 saddle horses. About 1975 the ranch extended over 1,000,000 acres and was running 150,000 head.

To be continued.

The Matador

Established in 1878 by Henry Harrison Campbell and located south of the Prairie Dog River in the Texas Panhandle. Operating under the "Flying V" brand, Scottish backers financed an expansion program and the Matador soon occupied most of the Panhandle, with other range land in Montana and the Dakotas. In 1951 the Pease River Cattle Corp. and the Turtle Hole Cattle Corp., made an offer of $18,960,000 for the Matador Ranches. The shareholders held a meeting, at the home office in Dundee, Scotland, and agreed to sell on 15 April.

Shanghai Pierce

Abel Head Pierce was born on 29 June, 1834 in Little Compton, R.I. He left home at the age of twenty and sailed to south Texas where he found employment with W.B. Grimes, a cattleman. Pierce stood 6'5", bearded and wore spurs with rowels " the size of windmills". This led someone to comment that he looked like a " Shanghai Rooster" and from then on he was known as Shanghai Pierce. He enlisted in the 1^st Texas Cavalry at the start of the Civil War and served as a regimental butcher until being discharged. He returned to Texas and began rounding up and branding the large herds of strays roaming the country. His established the Rancho Grande in Matagorda County, the Pierce Slaughterhouse and the Pierce Cattle Shipping Wharf. By 1900 Pierce's stock roamed over more than 1,000 acres of his land and experimental crossbreeding began with Brahma and domestic breeds. Pierce died on 26 December, 1900 but his relatives continued the breeding program which has evolved into the Brahma cattle of today.

Swan Land & Cattle Co.

Known as the "Two Bar" and founded in 1873 by Alexander Hamilton Swan, the ranch occupied a portion of Wyoming larger than Connecticut. Swan once stated that "In our business we are often compelled to do certain things which, to the inexperienced, seem a little crooked." In 1883 Swan sold his outfit to Scottish investors for $2,387,675, retained a position as a salaried manager and he, along with some Wyoming partners, purchased 1/6^th of the shares. The corporation began to expand by acquiring three neighboring ranches and in 1884 purchased 550,000 acres of Union-Pacific land for $2.3 million dollars. This acquisition alternated with sections of government land which actually gave the company control of over one million acres, coupled with the other range totaled to 3.25 million acres. The company purchased many herds and owned so many brands that it had to publish a Brand book to keep the foreman advised. Cowboys dreamed of riding for the Two Bar, being paid as much as $45 per month, a string of nine horses per man with rice-n-raisin pudding for dessert. Swan held rodeos for the benefit of Scottish/ English visitors who were entertained by a fancy sharpshooter, and not yet famous, Butch Cassidy. But one shareholder, James Tait, contended that the original book count of the original herd had been inflated by Swan and after the winter of 1886 the company wrote off 200 bulls, 2,200 steers and 5,500 cows. Swan was dismissed and sued but a judge threw the case out on a technicality, leaving the company being swindled out of about 32,000 head of cattle and one half million dollars.

XIT Ranch

The Capitol Freehold Land & Investment Company, founded by John & Charles Fawell, purchased 3,000 acres of the Texas Panhandle and fenced it with barbed wire. They named it the "Ten in Texas" ranch because it was supposed to extend over ten counties, but in actuality only covered nine. The first herd arrived in July of 1885 and B.H. Campbell, the ranch manager, asked Ab Blocker. The strawboss of the herd, if he had any ideas for a brand. Blocker scratched his head, spat and scratched "XIT" into the sand. In it's prime, the outfit also ran cattle on another 200 sections of range in Montana and was the largest spread in the history of the west. The company began selling the land to settlers in the early 1900's and faded into history in just a few years.

No employee of the Company, or if any contractor doing work for the Company, is permitted to carry on or about his person or in his saddlebags, any pistol, dirk, dagger, slingshot, knuckles, bowie knife or any other similar instruments for offense or defense.

Card playing and gambling of every description, whether engaged in by employees, or by persons not in the service of the Company, is strictly forbidden.

Employees are strictly forbidden the use of vinous, malt, spirituous, or intoxicating liquors, during their time of service with the Company.

Loafers, "sweaters," deadbeats, tramps, gamblers, or disreputable persons, must not be entertained at any camp, nor will employees be permitted to give, loan or sell such persons any grain, or provisions of any kind, nor shall such persons be permitted to remain on the Company's land under any pretext whatever.

Employees are not allowed to run mustang, antelope or any kind of game on the Company's horses.

No employee shall be permitted to own any cattle or stock horses on the ranch.

It is the aim of the owners of this ranch to conduct it on the principle of right and justice to everyone; and for it to be excelled by no other in the good behavior, sterling honesty and integrity, and general high character of its employees, and to this end it is necessary that the foregoing rules be adhered to, and the violation of any of them will be just charge for discharge.