Document text
Jauthier.held,-41 0.
,ianfetores
rmat co.,44.t.„41
kage 0 1
to 240
atell.Garrett,63,11ving at 1116 Cellepe Ave,
Fort lierth,Teiss, was born 140),12,1866, at Shelby
cot._ Texas, -la a farm and ranch owned by he faller,
A.B.Garrettalt the conclUeilin of the Civil :Ear,
A.B.Gerrett laved to toCellemn est, After a period
of two years the family moved from UcCellsan Ce.,
to Coryell co., end engsged in the cattle buolness.
A.3.4arrett was among the first drevere which drove
cattle to the Northern market. A.n.Garnett.notored
Baylor University, at 4ace, at he ape of 17. At
the ape of 19, he taught ashes' in thn real districts
for two yOars. Alen he'%os 21 yegre old he (Istab'inh-
ed a ranch in Corye'l cc., in which business ho
rained for immoral years.
flis story of ratige life follows:
"I was bern,renrod and lived in Times, all my life to date.
y place of birth was at a farm mg father, A.B.4arrntt, owned.
The time .%f m4 birth we Feb, 12, 1866. Our farm wns located in
the Sabine =Ivor bottom, in -holby to,.
"A short time after t e Civil tar ended, father mlved his
family to .c.:411min co., and engaged in the cattle buPiness. r
was abou4_ 11 'ears old at the time.
";:he rempe'wes en and free at the time we moved to IeCe ha
co.. $o to thing person weded to estsblieh cattlb ranch
46S cattle, saddle horses and a adiquate wtter holes.
"During those days there reamed on thl range thouvande of
cqttle which worn unbr”nded, and became known ar Uavericks.
I shall state brdifly, how the term !limerick became used
as a plied to an unbranded critter, and th, row on s, -any un-
branded cattle were tho range at the. close of thn
Gauthierobeadon ',age :2
Rengelere. PC 240
ittrrent co. Ziate, 4t7
War.
•"A man named Aaverick, emndfather of the present Congress.
in Maverick of texas, was a Large rancher prior to the Civil
War, and &Aimed his calf crop to go unbranded during the later
years of the war. At the close of the viir there uere thousands
of hie cattle without brands. Therefore, in Maverick#v section,
folks would say,*there is a Zaverlok., when reforing to an un.
branded critter. The term. wao tak,m, up by others, add in a short
time it was it: general tee .through the range country of Texn,
liaverick us not the only remoher vho did not brand their
-cttle as the animals were bred and produced. nany others
neglected to brund and mark their cattle. The reason they neg.
looted their -herds, was because after the sOsai gear of the
Oar, TOX&8 became, for .11 practical pur,,ases, isolated from the
s.fmthern 8qatos 8. of the Ulealsolepi "Ivor, and the section was
where the only market existed for our Texas cattle during those
trwIttp days.
"Being cut off from the market, the ranchero found themselves
tith worthless stock, so far as a market was concerned. Tn fact,
the value of cuttle, in Texas, was se ley one would loos monoy
paying hired help to attend a herd. Therefore, the ranohers gave
very little, if any, attention to their herds. Ihe herds multt,.
plied rapidly. ihus, v,hen the waft ceased., there were thol;senA3 of
unbrandes cattle ever all the range and no one i-now to rhos
the animals belonged.
Gauthier*:Aeldon F* :agt1 3
.iangolore* 240
Tarrant co*iDistiporl
"Immediatly following the close of the tar, there existed
a demand for beef ,but Texas did net have an adiquato market* Her
Qouthern market wac depressed because of the financial con-
dition of the bout horn. 3414.13 at the time. There wan no money
in the mouth and the prices e ained low*
"During the late 60s and early 70s, rallroets builded into
A..ans*, and that placed shipping facilities close enouph to our
rave so it was practical to drive herds to the railroads.
"xollowing the completion of the railroads extention into
lanai" simalstansous therewith, market centers appeared* The
principal market points were Camp au 'ply, Fort ;edge and ft:tea
City*
"6hen these markets were established, demands and nrices
for cattle mulit,lied in a short t1me* hen foliated a prosier
period
ova/for the cattlemen of Texas, v.hieh continued, mere or less,
unabated until the panto of 1893
"lather anticipated a miOhty upturn in the cattle business
when he learned about the railrlegr extending kieetward Seeing
his action on the rell founded conclusions, he de.,*oted his efforli
to creating a large hoed*
"Wo moved to UcCellan'co*, f -r the purose of securing a
more suitable range* Al located n'the aliases .1.iver, where we
o orated for t.0 gears and then moved to (oriel]. ce*, Cur
location in 4=oryell co*, was on the ‘olo:ado ;liver, 6* ol Gates..
vile.
"It is obvious to anyone, that with the rongo being open,
..authier..holdwn f. Inge 74
aingolore. PC 240
Turrant (10,41411et.,;7
It wee impossible for person t. indontify any ,nrtioular
unbranded critter se 'tamping to him. Simons° of this fact,
there took foem a sort of geLtel-mis p roement to povern the
brandin0 of the 4arvioks, and the only logical rule, it was
Ihat a r-ncher had the ,riviledge of britins the unbranded
cattle which uere found with his critters or gr-sing on the
range under hie control.
"here were many persond who started a herd by pho
simple pr-cese of locating a watering. place, adnoting brand
and then going out on the range to hunt and brand Aaverioks.
"talon we moved to UcCollan co., fathor hod a few cattle;
per 4:18 600. ue branded all the *Morioka we could find in our
section with our 114' brand. I, at the time, w.45 *bout 11 years
old and la...go enough to help ride the range. eather hired two
hands, with whom 1 worked an all 1:4, did was to gather and brand
gaverloks.
"ben we moved to oryell co., e had a herd ot 160C
cattle. In Coryoll co., we continued tbur oroc-se of br-:nding
all stock in our setion, and with the natural morose, our herd
s'on numbered -US to better than 6000.
"Our camp, at first, ,o slated of tents for sheter, which
Wo used when inclement wether existed. when the weather was
clement, we slept outside. Blankets wo.,-o kept in the .00ne of
the chuck wan and when niehts were chilly, we -ould rfal in
a cover, otherwise, we did not.
"Our food 1:441 coarse, but whole -some. It c,nsisted prinolflal-
ly of beef, beans, both -orn and .heat breed and dried fruit. tie
Genthier.bheldon r.
•Rangelere.
Tarrant oo.,Diat,,r7
eage t5
AO
also, goner:My mmanagod to have some canned vepetables. Blaok
coffee was supplied in largocquenittes as we necesrary to
antis!y the appetite IP *urinates and thy Ciink a large amount
of th beeverage.
"The mai was n food camp cook -ad vem.especia
Y 8 ed at
co4sing meat and beans. he variod the manner of c °king thn beef
and beans, so the two f ode did not become tiresome.
"Aving as we did in th.! open, Oa.- aonstite w -s alwayr ,een.
vne would arise each morning with an excerAnt netfte and vontd
relish the broilAt steak, sour -dough bread,00p„ lick ad block
ee.
"bicknass was a rare condition Among we waddles, and we
von' Always able to stay on the job tn do what v.se ramose
oven if it was two or three days rid nights without :-et, %hich
happened ocgasionallr.
"thile the range Wee open end the melte graced ;here their
desires lead the herd, we rode the range constantly iurinp the
day imitate the cattle bunched anA more or less to our range
',fiction.- After the herd bedded doun at night --e left just one
rider one duty at a time to keep watch, unless inclement twather
wee existing or threataieg
"It was mammary to keep several ridern on nutj when
inclement 'leather ;,as apaarent, became in the event a storm set
in th4 herd would tend to drift end during severe vesther, zould
drift feet rid far, unless held ,nok. Then Phan thunder and
lightenine wore -erai6ting, theviltasy5 was Maurer or a et-m,ede
Guuthiarovhe.:140m xo nage A
Ranrelereo PC 24C
541 rrant eq. „tact, 7
starting.* with 10 resultine loss, unless the riders 'here on hand
to neL t hr.& down VI the mlannmo
"I MOD exper nued periodo of twe and three da„7o Rry nights
when our entire.orew of zix to Wht riders, vle on. duty the
wholo tim Lt.out any reet. :-Ia-ring the gint r we the noriod of
the year :hen Inc ement and threatine reethor v-Iu14'prosist
several eaccosaivo.dacsootOccsnionellyodurtno the Antal': st.
prealeting sleet and rain storm, accompanied with cold* w aid set
in. -ash weather was ti e hardest kind of weather to work in end-,
a se, required the met .ork, because the cattle would insist
on driffin8 tit- the storm, Jut before a storm would err•vo*
it was the ctttle's instinct shish enabled the animal to real's°
a utorm was Tn its wly und you'd wont to drift t- shelter. The
eniy shter th uflye wood broke at hills.
"During the yoars when oattled roamed the seen range there
were a few winter stormo.when thensends of cattle perished "rem
expogbre. 4 memory does not eerie me sell as it did in the flrmer
deys, but I think ii.was durine the late 80s, thousands' nf: cattle
piirishod on tho.ranee. Ale storm etartod with rain*, trned to
eloot and then ttrgad ts snow wth low tenperature. The inclement
together continued for a eeek or mom,
4;arine the storm, a Jorge nu -Aber of She weaker cattle pg,71sh—.
ad from exposure to tho cold. -hen, when the Storm tibsided the
ground was coated vAth log and *mow, ceverinv the price which
prevented Praising.- This condition resulted in many more cattle
Oeuthier.;Jholden Y.
';:arrant co.„Diet
Perishing from starvation.
Page IT
Fe 240
"many ranchers were rui oil by reasons of their cattle lees
faring the siege ef weather. One could travel ove-..tho ranre
for miles and never be out of sigA of dead animals.
"Fati-es lose we about 50 percents aut he was abLe to
meet the .A.saster. flop oven -withstood the °taw& by heel -flies on
the cattle which follolved the coming of uild weather,
'he hoel..fly is to mood because it at ,cks the catle in
the heel.Jivideatly„ thG fly link u -painful otinr* 4e.nuem vIlen
.eue 0 the flies bitt,„ nn animal,- the critter will throw its tail
.in th,J air, let s meta snort *pd start running for a bog or n
woter-holo.
he heel -fig le very laring to tha stock. and continued
*teas from -swarms of the flies, will prevent grazing and keep
the cattle etunding in water or a -bog, valor° they can seep their
hoels submoilmed 2ho cattle will to e welent ad die.
imring the host -fly *eremite the cattle crowded the -bogs
river in, the locality. %e were kept. busy pulling critteru out'
of bogs, but the animals wculd-go book the second a fly hit it.
any of the cattle became so wank th t thej became miored and
died, before we co ld get t'. the animal and pull it out -If the
adorer. :ieore faced with a herculean tusk. Which mks beyond
our bbilitj to perform completly. workedOoth horeeo and
men,to exhaustion d..arging miorod critters out of bort.
'Our -method of chAvinr out a tnioe4 ri -or wns to put
a loop around its horns and with the 'robe tied to the horn of
Qauthier.oholdon tf, Page
Uongelors. FC 244
tar ant eo.,D,st, 7
tho pada+, the horse would pull the animal out.
"Our next most dredddldifficulty which we were °impelled
to encounter woo the stampedes. feu may stsmipt to picture tn your
mind whit a stampede of reveral thousand longhorn cattle is like,
but one can't vieunlise the aetual Evens. 1 shail attempt to
draw a ental picture of what the old rawhide viewed and con-'
tended with during a cattle run.
"Of course, during u strm we Aere expecting a tossible run
atiA were on the watch for it, but during clement weather etamp-
ede is not looked for unless so ()thine scares the cattle..;honj
tlines can ocare a herd. or instance, a wolf which runs into a
herd to pull down a calf r somet ing that may startle Just one
animal the fear sauced to the one aniraal will 0'mA-through the
whole herd instantly. thile a herd is on thoir nun creund it is
not so easily scored, but rhea bidded.off their home -ant7e„ for
instAice-when on a drive, the herd is prone to stampede over
trifT420 These conditions, mentioned,ate what we hod to be on
euard agninat at all tiMes.
"The herd may be bedded and arise instantly. 400king at a
herd arising, appears as if the earth to heaving up with an
acoompaning roar, a swish like sound, nd the clashing of horns.
,11110 the cattle are running, tte pounding to their feet on the
earth sounds as the roll of many muffled drums. the clashing
of the horns given off a sound similar thnt many mus:-lad cymbole.
The two sounds is vite a symphotty„ but broken by the discordance
yell of the middies trine to divert th heede attentiOn and put
kiauthier.,,heIdon i.
Av.ueelorg).
Tttrrant
sea r9
ec r4p
rd pat tho antmalo to milling.
'.hat I mean bj milling is t- start the Gatti* to running
in a circle, instead of straight may. If the herd wis not *mired
to badly and not maul -mg too fast, the crit ere wia.follow their
Liaders• (eurj b was to force the leadine critters irom their
straight c-uree. T.bat was performed by riding at the side and to
the front of the leadinp animals and crowding the 4 r'tters.
"Aloollter tho times we could accomplish our ourrose in-stopp.
ink, a run, but occasionally we v-ould fail. If we failed the
'cattle would be scattered hilher -nd yondt.
"Of course, while on the one range, a scattered herd was
not so dicasteroue, because we Co Id eventtmlly guAtor the cattle
and those v.hich wo could not locate nt the time, we would find
durine.the followtg roundup. .(1 far ac the- brAito ng stock wit5
co:worn-Ai, we were not co muoh clneerned about ,'hose becoming
scattered, but It was the maret cattle we did not want to boo
tr*ck of and be delayed in -their sale until after the roundup.
"'appose it 'Ais dark and etorming while a stampede IMO in
vogress, which it4ted-mr. Ihen imagine, iC you can, riding
at the }mid of .several thousand wildarightened and rnnning
and while riding, crowein$ your mount against the running cattle
tryt to force the aminals off their course. Suppose your horse
stumbled and threw :y.o infront of the running cuttleY Cf courso,
the result of each, event iv obvious. ;elk eiJont daring riders,
that was one elation the word daring does not osprese strong
enough: _sand in your gissard, av the cowhand uce to say, ex“ressos
such rider!, more aocurstvly.
.k.euthIor..,holdoa
7.:arrent-co.,let„ 7
Irws etruying. e.o were -11pt on ,-4ar!.icular fsbont the others.
"Lay father wici among th- first who entered_tho business
1 driving chttle from Texase*to the Nottherm Market, when the
railroad penertrated into Xaneo
"Vather did not have much clash. In foot, when he made his
firet trip,he had net tbout enoueh cosh to pay travelinr earensee,
leue sagoe.0 out out all !he critters in our herd vhich were
ready for the riarketit-am0 then !whored smell bunches of cattle
from small ranchers to make cl,) herd of 360A head,-
"Thcse scAttlo gattrtred from nther rorchere sore not 044
for at the time we withered the animals, but driven to the maret
and sold, owl then paid for.,,,Uo note o 'ther evidence of debt
wee riven by father to anj of the ranchers fol- whom he took cttle
to markot, when he returned he paid °ash person the money due,
love their share of tho expense incurr d maktnr the drive and .a
precontore
"Lo io a own' of fror, 1r to 14 men to handle a herd of
iM to ibJC cattle. I Made tvo drives as a member of the driv-
il] crow. I worked Lw or) of tif, pluton), kpointer In a term
ur, lied to the. -.'de: viho rides at to ride of the herd Iroopine
tho aniouPo together one hooded in the prorer 4iroction,-
"After we hod gatnred the herd to be driven, we would- sake
an early start in the orntng and drive the herd at a feet talk*
7
inf gglt all day. he purpose- f -r attar a hard deve the firer
lay.„sa7„ to be far away from the home beddlne rround an ooesible
the first nifht.-If a herd would be near their iflms free, when
‘:authiers;,h11don
bag-elore*
r.iar:ant co*.lolet.01
kap, 4112
FC
beiding time arrived, thoy v•ould give us considerable trouble
b7 trj17,7 to drift buck to their ual,sal beadinp ground..
'Thith each d.;' drive, the or tlere ould become accustomed
to the drive and the work of handling the herd would, likewise,
become easier. After the first day we would allow the animals to
taki: their nwn time and ,grase but we keep the herd beaded up
tho trail always._ The pointers would aro* the animal° to
s read out a dirtace of about a mile* Thua °soh ,critier would
have chance to get grass* If we would want to move the herd
fauter than their grazing gait, we would tighten up. 'hat is to
ray, reduce the creed nod urge the animnlo forward. Often we
wobld want t:) make some certain point for beading or reach _a
watering hole and would have to forma drives
".,Vherd of cattle will travol about 12 miles a day and Prase
th whil, but the distance's herd, would truvel, as the crow flys,
would average about seven miles.
"1111 followed the Chisholm Trail out of Cor7oll co..goinp,
through Hill 9 johnnon. Tarrant, A -se,- ,AfIntigue and Clay ounties*
'hence Aest to Doanse Crooning of the -ed ifiver and into the
Territory( now Okia.„). Tim trail vino e general course Northward*
fliomed where the griming end water was sufficent*
"From mAny directios in Texas, cattle were trailed to iooan's
"r eying and during the hight of cattle driving, -.no ould see
herds fording the 'Ami _aver moot any time of tke day*
-1 "While driving a- herd it we necessary to maintain constant
.watch over the herd at night. Ve viorked four night riders and the
authior•Ateldon
.s.golore.
W rrent oo.„-ist.,Y7
gape /21
FC PAO
four riders worked flur h ur shifts and then wo ld be refeaved
by another "tow of four. Of course, the remainder of the crew-
wore close et hand and could be called to duty in 'a few minutes.
(1 all slept with OW of our cloth on, sob terod around the.
chuck moon and if balled to ride, all we had to do was to pull
on our boots and i7rab out. hat in tiv, event angthing happened
n-eding our hole.
"dtampedee were the thing we dieuded, threfore, the night.
rider not on y watched the critters, but kept watch for anything
which may approach the herd and scare it. Any unsual',noise or
object may sears one or two animals and .their fright is taken up
bj the rest of the herd quickly. Became of th foot,. every
precaution :;as excersieed to not disturb the cattle.
aways prayed sac, t;upted for gool weather white .r.t
ilail drive. Aten a strom ves approaching we were always set
for anything and looked for tho worst to happen with the herd.
"41en a storm descends on a erd of cattle with lighteninig
flesking and thunder clapping, the animals are gaup to move.
Se:easily so when the herd are on stones ground. A herd will
drift with etrom and if .lightening stricks close to a herd a
ka
stampede is most sure to follow. 4ufing a stram, at night, is the
rst time for a. stampede to acOure.
"One most =poet stampedes 124th cattle e a drive., "0 had
to uontend with stampedes fro uently„ on the two drives I made.
04, hhndled the runs recce: stally with the exception of two. T
ohell explain what we experienced one night rhilo in thh gerritorlits
4authier.a)heldon t 14
R: 4zelore. Fe 240
i:errant co„.Dist, 7
"The easther ewe one of thooe real Ter -itory bu•t• re.which
centane all the elemontsi wind, rain. .lightening,sod thunder.
At the start of the storm, the herd was fretful, but we
were holding it successfully, until a elan of thwider hit in the
center c). the cattle. That thunder seemed to split and start
tho herd running in eeveral directions form the point of the
The herd did not act, as a rualing herd usually 61d.wilioh
16 allrun in the sada didiction, but it divided int() eeveral
diroctions.
'O? course, it belir darVide efot111 net see .except when. the
lightw.ling 'fleeted, but the ceSewvise ridinr tryine t keep the
unimalr torethc4-. e knew it was Impossible to stop tho run
unlil the cattle became 1-hin down or the atom stopped.
"The storm stopped after an heurts t'sse and ze.put what
crWers wo:e 1 -ft to.milling, WI we hod only half fad the herd.
'..he rest we:o scattered tolthe four winds', which prowly
expresees.the condition.
"be spent four days at'empting tr gath.r our herd, but were
cf)Mpelled to be eatisiled with about i of the cattle. aome of
the ranchers in the r;erritory had a fos eattle added to their
herd. 'A'his incident took plsoe befeAr the Cattlemen's AssocIa-
tion wr,v organiw41, and had extended its influence beyond texas.
"The b• minim, of the present eattlomenear Association was
-rranised in 1677, and the orranisation soon established rul-s
whereby stmys picked up by .others would be cold and the owner
paid the sale money_ through the Associst/0114
Aulthiel•Jholden 4s
vaigelore.
tarrpilt co.„Dist.of7
i'age t16
te .40
"After the Cattlemen' Association becam- thOSOURAW
orpnised, about the rmly loss the deovers suffered from
in animals would be when the cattle Yell- Into the hands of.
-rustlere. The rustlers would blot the brand, and by several
methods tihNnge tho brands. However, a- 'Jorge number of 'hose
cattle were intercepted, by Vie Association's Inspectort4 at the
markets end thousands of dollarr wer02,0fed for tlx: ranchers-
b,y.the 1,-Jectors.
"when a Cover or ranchor lost cattle, the fact was reoort-
ed to the "ssociatonse Inspection deT.artmento If the critterscire offered for sao at any of the murVots containing the
re!vrt,74 brands or tTends which showed evidence of ber:nif tamer
ot with, the seacr wctld be coa:ollccl to clve vrAirfac'-ory
account of how .fie came into poscopelon of the cattle inuestion.
If the party failed to voduce the noceernry facts, the -cattle
wore sold and the money Ptjd to the rightful owner, 1 -ce exwense.
"Astling became a well ori'aniso,d business in many rections
of the ra,ge c-uatry. Coryell co., •sal(i its ficinity, wee one
of the locelities where a tcicrad c -lot of resti,3r trouAe
existed.
"7he coAltioa deceue so bid t:vA the ranchers were creed
to orcanise and deal with the situation dlrectly. Co mitteek
wor organised- to handle the rustlers. Those committees would
notify a .-ustler to leave the community or desist If th,,
o.rty failed to hood the demised, then the colmittee would entoh
the Locum* and hold a trial.
uthior.6holdon
iLneolo.ro.
larit3nt
Page 416
IC 260
:ho tritls tore under a kengrt.00 court uagalont,iUO
neubor of to cOmmitteo wOUld oat as tho judgo, anothor:tho
proi3oouto ho OvIdence.for and flainet wr,uld be heard. Tho
vote
verdict .would be rendered according .to.thl. majority/of thl
committeo. '!;Lang Woro cotonded to he hanged and to hanging
myald to o piece on the opot.*:iome'Of the cool/sod were turnea
le;ocie with a warning and given anethor chonop*
•tv;;Ile actions of the committees in Coryoll co., hod e
whalosome offodt on the mr_tiors and their donrodvtions tore
chocked consideviebly.,
"At the oge of 17 V,ontclrod taylor.t.iniveraity at co.Via I
-opent
Alio yoarr at 44aytor and then oneegedin,teaching s:hool In the
rual dictriCts for a period of, triki yore. Fol.lowinfl my rw.ted
of teaching, 1 again ontored the cattle businoes. I rotIrlod
to Coryo'l co., and took- charge of re; atheee raA)h and cow:Aw-
ed in the business until the panto of 1893.
,At the tine I returwid to -ranching, which was in 1876, the
2.11. railroad hfld onto red sort uorth, then our market f -,r cattle
1f4e tort "orth.
"About thin time eenditiOne ohanaod rapidly, dile to 1:enoinn
and eettlere takint, up land for, cultivation. The -taro rrnel,orti
moved farther Let and the -Oman rancher fenced his ranpo. The
open ranE,o eoon'dictuvearod,
"1 fenced mg rango nnd continued to °pore:to until the
ponic sot in. tbou cold out mg herd and on-oand in veriouc r)thor
linoe of bunineno.