Your hands blister as you grip the leather of your horse’s reins The animal kicks up dust as you guide it toward a runaway calf at full speed Within seconds you’ve thrown your lariat around the calf’s neck You catch your breath as you guide the animal back to the herd The cattle herd is your responsibility You work with ten other men but you are in charge You have spent the past two months driving the 3,000 cattle along the open range You have traveled nearly 1,000 miles 1,609 km across the American West Along the way you have defended the herd from wild animals and cattle rustlers You’ve calmed the herd when it was frightened by bad weather You’ve even raced around the herd in circles to stop the cattle from stampeding With the runaway calf returned to its herd you urge your horse forward You are nearing the railroad where the cattle will be shipped and sold You are tired but you are ready to begin another adventure Your skills are put to the test every day But you can handle it You are an American cowboy 5
CHAPTER 1 Who Are Cowboys The cowboy of the American West can trace his roots to Spain in the Middle Ages There large agricultural estates were known as haciendas Cattle ranches were one kind of hacienda Cattle were overseen by men on horseback called vaqueros Italian explorer Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 His trip was supported by Spain Spanish explorers soon followed They settled many areas in the Americas The settlers brought cattle and horses with them They established haciendas in new territories One of the largest territories was Mexico In 1776 the American colonies had declared independence from England People in the United States looked westward with the desire to expand Farming and ranching were common ways to make a living 6 Hacienda usually referred to a large estate Some haciendas were plantations while others were mines or factories
UNITED STATES ATLANTIC OCEAN COWBOY LANDS MAP KEY Areas of open range MEXICO GULF OF MEXICO PACIFIC OCEAN The Mexican government encouraged Americans to settle in Texas to promote trade However conflict soon broke out Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836 and later became a US state in 1845 Then the Mexican-American War began in 1846 in a disagreement over territory The war ended in 1848 with Mexico losing one-third of its territory Many Mexican ranchers fled the territory during the war and returned to Mexico They left much of their livestock behind Five million cattle roamed the United States The heyday of the American cowboy was about to begin 7
