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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It wasn't nearly as romantic as those Western movies and books make cowboy life out to be.
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!
Life as a cowhand was tough and demanding. Cowhands were responsible for herding and caring for cattle, often working long hours in harsh weather conditions. They faced physical labor, rough terrain, and the challenges of managing large herds of livestock. Despite the hardships, some cowhands found fulfillment in their connection to the land and animals.
To make a new life style
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.
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.
Many smaller towns prospered because of the cattle boom, because it brought the cattle herders and cowboys to town. When the cattle drive was finished, the cowboys were anxious to spend their money.