FREE ESSAY ON COWBOYS

COWBOYS

Cowboys
How they started
Cattle ranchers began to move out onto the Great Plains in the mid 1800's In the late
1800's cowboys became popular in the cattle industry. The American cowboys owe their
knowledge of how to tame the cattle to vaquerars (the Mexican cowboys). The animals
originally were from the ranches in southern Texas formerly operated by Spaniards and
Mexicans. The cowboys often called the wild cattle longhorns, which were the huge herds
of wild cattle. About one- third of the cowboys were free black men who had moved west
after the Civil War. 
Each year Texas ranches would collect huge herds of cattle and start them northward on
what was called the long drive. The cowboys would take the herds of cattle along the
railroads to get them to urban markets for the nations growing cities. 
Clothing 
The American cowboy wore a wide brimmed hat that provided shade, to protect him from the
sun and the rain. He wore pointed toe boots which slipped easily into the stirrups of his
saddle, and the boots had high heels to keep them from slipping. They wrapped leather
chaperreras or chaps around their legs to protect them from thorny chaparrel bushes. They
carried with them at all times revolver, lasso, whip, and spurs.
. 
Housing . 
The cowboys lived in wagons called chuck wagons. The chuck wagons included food, sleeping
blankets tools and other things to help them along with their journeys. They would sleep
on the ground with their blankets. Sometimes they would make a fire. These chuck wagons
were not strong or sturdy. Many times while the horse was pulling it an axel would break
and the cowboys would have to stop to fix it. This would be a set back for the day. On
large ranches the cowboys slept in bunkhouses near the ranch owners house. These house
had many discomforts, there were bunks piled on top of each other. The houses were small
and dingy. There were pegs on the wall to hang the clothes that the cowboys wore. Most
cowboys went to sleep early due to the exhaustion from the days work.
.Diet 
. 
The cowboys diet included potatoes, beans, bacon, dried fruit, corn meal, coffee and
canned food. Most cowboys often woke up at four o'clock in the morning and worked till
dusk, they never had much time for eating. The Chuck Wagon carries food, cooking
utensils, and drinking water during the trail drive. After the cattle settled down for
the night, the cowboys gathered around the wagon to eat. Most of the food would go bad if
it was not properly packaged, or if it was old. 
Occupations 
The cowboys job was to protect the cattle from Indians and wild animals. It was also to
keep the cattle from straying away. At roundups the young cattle were branded with the
marks of their owners. The steers, belonging to various ranchers were then sorted out.
The cowboys also, had to repair bridles, harnesses, and other equipment for their horses,
wagons and bunk hoses. All these activities meant hard work but a free and happy life for
the cowboy.
Amusements
Vaqueros (Mexican cowboys) often sang songs and played the guitar in the evenings on the
open trail after a days work. The American cowboys adopted this custom and created their
own songs, many of which are still popular today. Between 1883-1938 Wild West Shows were
very popular. These shows were similar to circuses; they reenacted an Indian attack and
of course at the last minute a rescue by the American cowboy saving the people. Some of
the other featured events included Bronco-Busting, Rough-Riding, Roping, Indian
ceremonials, and Sharp shooting
Life Expectancy
In 1850 the life expectancy of a white male living in the U.S was thirty-eight years old.
A Cowboy's prime time in his life was about twenty-four. Many cowboys lasted well into
there thirties but due to the hard work and many activities the men were tired and were
owed a rest.
Bibliography
Bibliography
Davidson/Lytle Prentice Hall: The United States,
A History of the Republic, page 411, 1990
Davidson/Lytle Prentice Hall; The 
American Nation. Page449-52, 1989
Todd/Curti Triumph of the American Nation
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, page 496-500 ,1986.
Wilder, Ludlum, Brown. This is America's Story. 
Houghton Mifflin Fifth Edition, page 470-74, 1983
http://wwww.infoplease.com/ipa /a0005140.html
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/