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Life was tough during a cattle drive. Cattle are dangerous animals even on a ranch, and when you gather thousands of the large animals and start driving them across hundreds of miles of range, you've got a recipe for disaster.
The two biggest worries of a cowhand during a drive were weather and stampedes. The weather could delay a drive by days if not weeks, especially if the rain caused rivers to overflow and flood. Cattle could not cross a swollen river, and the flooding usually covered up the flat grassland at the sides of the river, forcing the cattle herd to find food farther away from needed water.
Stampedes weren't just something from the movies. Cattle are herd animals, and if one animal spooks at a sudden sound or sight, they all run full tilt away from whatever scared them. Many cowhands lost their lives to stampedes, along with the cattle they were trying to drive to market.
Daily life was rough on a drive even if everything else was fine. You got up before sunrise, worked until sunset, then got a few hours of sleep before starting again. You didn't have a day off to relax because the cattle didn't rest on their way to market. Food was pretty dismal - beans and beef for the most part, and a cowhand would soon get tired of eating the same thing day after day. A good cook was a fine thing for a cattle drive to have along.
If you were an experienced hand, the drive wasn't as bad because you got to take the choice positions in the front of the herd. Inexperienced cowhands got the lousy jobs of trailing behind the herd and would end their day covered in dust and cow manure. You also got better pay as an experienced hand. The trail boss usually got between $100 and $125 a month on a drive. The cook was next in importance, usually earning around $60 a month!
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What was life for cowhands during the cattle drive?
it was rough because cowhands went through bad weather, risky river crossing, stampedes, occasional attacks from native americans, and raids from cattle thieves, called rustlers.
What was life for cowhand during cattle drive?
it was rough because cowhands went through bad weather, risky river crossing, stampedes, occasional attacks from native americans, and raids from cattle thieves, called rustlers.
What was life like for cowhands during a cattle drive?
Life was tough for cowhands during a drive. The weather might be horrible with storms and pouring rain. The cattle might stampede and kill one or more cowboys who couldn't get out of the way in time. Driving cattle was hard work - you were in the saddle from sunup to sundown with just a short break for meals, and you might even have to get up in the middle of the night to watch the cattle during the darkness (when they were more likely to get spooked and stampede). If you rode drag, that meant you had to ride behind the herd and make any slow-poke cows catch up. You were riding in the dust kicked up by the cows, which included cow poop dust! It was a tough life.
What was life like for cowhands during a cattle?
Life was tough for cowhands during a drive. The weather might be horrible with storms and pouring rain. The cattle might stampede and kill one or more cowboys who couldn't get out of the way in time. Driving cattle was hard work - you were in the saddle from sunup to sundown with just a short break for meals, and you might even have to get up in the middle of the night to watch the cattle during the darkness (when they were more likely to get spooked and stampede). If you rode drag, that meant you had to ride behind the herd and make any slow-poke cows catch up. You were riding in the dust kicked up by the cows, which included cow poop dust! It was a tough life.
What life like for a cowhands during a cattle drive?
Life was tough for cowhands during a drive. The weather might be horrible with storms and pouring rain. The cattle might stampede and kill one or more cowboys who couldn't get out of the way in time. Driving cattle was hard work - you were in the saddle from sunup to sundown with just a short break for meals, and you might even have to get up in the middle of the night to watch the cattle during the darkness (when they were more likely to get spooked and stampede). If you rode drag, that meant you had to ride behind the herd and make any slow-poke cows catch up. You were riding in the dust kicked up by the cows, which included cow poop dust! It was a tough life.
Why were cattle drives able to boom during late 1800s?
The price of cattle was one factor that allowed cattle ranches to be so profitable during the boom period. Beef on the hoof was about $15 to $20 a head. Cattle were sought after to feed the thousands of immigrants that came to the United States looking for work and a better life.
What was life for cowhand a during a cattle drive?
Life was tough for cowhands during a drive. The weather might be horrible with storms and pouring rain. The cattle might stampede and kill one or more cowboys who couldn't get out of the way in time. Driving cattle was hard work - you were in the saddle from sunup to sundown with just a short break for meals, and you might even have to get up in the middle of the night to watch the cattle during the darkness (when they were more likely to get spooked and stampede). If you rode drag, that meant you had to ride behind the herd and make any slow-poke cows catch up. You were riding in the dust kicked up by the cows, which included cow poop dust! It was a tough life.
What has the author Siegfried G Demke written?
Siegfried G. Demke has written: 'The cattle drives of early California' -- subject(s): Cattle trails, Ranch life
What has the author Jim Bob Jackson written?
Jim Bob Jackson has written: 'They pointed them east first' -- subject(s): Cattle drives, Cattle trails, Drovers, Frontier and pioneer life, History, Social life and customs
What was life of a cowhand like?
A cowhand's life was physically demanding, involving tasks such as herding cattle, branding, and fixing fences. They often worked long hours in harsh weather conditions and frequently traveled long distances with the herd. Cowhands developed strong bonds with their fellow workers and relied on their skills to manage the cattle effectively.
What has the author David Lawson Shirk written?
David Lawson Shirk has written: 'The cattle drives of David Shirk from Texas to the Idaho mines, 1871 and 1873' -- subject- s -: Cattle trade, Frontier and pioneer life
What was life for during a a cattle drive?
It wasn't nearly as romantic as those Western movies and books make cowboy life out to be.
