Document text
e41-4;
Gauthier, 3heidon 2.
Ranelore
Tarrant Coe,l)ist.17
Pace
Heal 0. ..atts, 78, living at 110i Naiad
$t., Fort uorth, Ted..., vets born en his father'e
farm in Nholby ce.,Tex., Aug. £0,1859. Hie
father, A.11ian “atte, nn Irani Texas frWla
Aittella.41
Te., in 1841. As chose by es as his future
hems, due to the Tennessee ittlemeat at that
time existing there. He had learned the shoemaking
craft whioh he followed for a livellhoed. Eff
Daggett, a neighbor of his, moved from Shelby Go.
to Tarrant ow. about 1867, and wrote him letters
dew:wising Tarrant as. and its advantages. rThe
descriptiuns given appealed to him, as he moved
to Tarrant co. in 1868. The 'netts family leexted
where the town of Mansfield is mow situated. Alliam
sitts negotiated for a treat if land, on which he
built a hme. He cultivated a small tract and
raised cattle. He died in 1869. Neal hatts started
working the year following his fathees death. His
first Job was planting curs, dropping the seed by
hand, and received 2150 per sere for his labor. At
the age of 13 he secured eaplapaaat en the (settle
ranch of .H.Stevens, located 15 miles ,t. of
Uansfield. As worked un this raneh fer three years,
then started a cattle business of his own. After
V\ quittinc tno ("little business, he engaged in farming
for severul years, then retired. His story:
.c-
"1 am nearing 79 years of ace. I was born Aug. 20,1859, ex
the farm of my father, whose nano was -illiam -atts. Ths farm was
located in Shelby co.,Tex.
111V father cane tu Texas in 1041, from Tenn., and located in
Shelby county becl use therl was a settlement of Tennessee folks
there, which was called th4,1Tennessee Settlement'.
hat I refer to as a farm in Shelby caunly was a tract of
land *consisting of about 10 acres cleared for cultivation. kl;n
this treat we raised the vegetables, wheat and will we needed fur
our feed supply, also a few acres of cotton lint for making cloth.
usually had some extra cotton, besides our hame aimda, which
Gauthier, liheldon F.
Rangelere
Tarrant Gs., Taste/7
Page i2
was sold.
"MY father weea shuemaker and depended en his shoe oraft
to provide the needed cash money.. MOst of my father's nue was
ecoupieW making shoes for families of the settlement. The 10
acres did not require a great amount of labor to attend the crop
raising. Before the Civil ario father owned a couple of slaves
who di', the farm work, which enabled him to devote his full time
to hie shoe business.
"41en father arrived in Wielby ()aunty, there were not many
people living there. I am repeating Wtat father told me. iven
,W-434 Ibeosile oid enough to rime:Lieu:It, the country was thinly
esti:led. The people setUed there were olustered in little
settlemexta.
"The conditions ves lived under, when I was a child, ws
vastly different frola Atut it is today, but we were vectored
againat want of food or cletb.ing.
"The woods colteinee a larGe amount of wild Llama of various
kinds, and the oat and fowl, which were edible, could easily
be hunted or trapped. Fi;Nratively speaking, e peren malted ever
wild game while passing 'through the timber. I have oXten watched
wild turkeys drinkin watr out of our cattle's watering trough,
located near the barn and about 100 feet from our house. .1 thought
in those days that the wild gime would never beoome exhausted.Also,
besides the wii.d c7Ame, the woods contained hundreds of cattle end
hogs which bred and raised themselves in the regions adjaonnt to
the settle!vette.
"The cultivated fielus were fenced with split rails, to
Gauthier, ',--ineldon F.
Rangelore
Tarrant Co.,Diste7
Page 44
F':0
"The cotton, and a few sheep, supplied the material out of
which our °lathing was made. Therefore, we were seourad against
west by products from the land and woods.
'Tether's money made from his shoo making business was clear
profit, which when added to some money derived from the sale of
a little cotton, enabled father to save some money.
"Amon tile people for whom he made shoes was Llf Daggett, and
tne to men were close friends. Daggett was aaJng the man in
aelby county whu made cattle raising their special business. He
owned several hundred head and foresaw great possibilities in the
cattle blioiness. is WQZ a t ho1i3 aatiefied-with the Shelby
*county territory for carrying oJt hia plans. lie finally decided
to wive to Tarrant county, and did so in 1867.
If
After lum,ting in Tarrant county, Daggett developed a
large ofttle ranch. he rvnged cattle over all the region North
from the city of Fort '-,orth to what is now Rhome, a territory ex-
tellelag about 4:3 mt eo.
"Daggett wrotc: father frequent y, information about
Tarraet ot)unty, and the letters crtluUt,u u cicuire 14.th 1%.ther to
move to Tarrant county, Atich he did. in 1868. -0 Bottled in the
southeast part of tne county at the nr-sehl; location of Aansfielt.
"rathnr isolotiated for a tract of land, which e el -red
and broke and on which he raised our food supply, devoting the
major part of his time tu developing u cattle/ranoh. Father diou
in 106V, r;t tit tlne he ws just getting started in the cattle
business. 1,i2 castrophe caused mm to hunt work.
"I did odd jobs which I was able to secure, working first fLx
Gauthier, Sheldon
Rangelore
Tarrant (4.,Diet.iil
Page -115
F7.:C
one and tnen another. Ay first job was planting corn by hand and
I received 250 per aore for the work. The land was marked off in
rows and I \43uad step about two feet, punch a hole with the heel
of my boot, drop two kernels and then kick dirt with the toe of
my bout to cover the seed. The field I planted was about 10 acres
and 1 war engric:ed e week doin the planting. Aowever, the :ii;2.50
was excellent wages fur a 10 year old lad those days.
"I did some work for Mann and Fields, whs operated a grist
mill on -*titer's Creek. The town of 14ansfield tae s itu neer
from these two men. The mill was built about a year before we
came to the region. the ;All was built a community began
to develop. stor au( blaokzmith shop were the finiit to be
located, then grcdually others and finaly a postoffice was lo-
cated there. I 'neve A vivid mantal picture uf the firat church
buildin,70 because twQ9 built of logs, the work being done by the
men of the community with my assistanoe. There was not a nail
used in the structure. .1.1 timbers were fastened in ple with
wooden pegs. Neiln coat money and the nails wero*donctod, con-
sequently we used our labor to make 1,,Un 1;eis an4 slave spendimg
money for nail.
".hen the ;:tore, elacksmith shop, postk,frioe and church were
established the place bees,
a comaunity center.
"The entire section wa a cattle range, w.Lth a few patohes of
fenced land on which a little wheat, corn and cotton were raised.
The largf,st cattle ranch in the section was the 'IAA, ranch,
owned by L.Y.:.;tevons. He bought several KR thousand acres of lend
in the region for 250 per acre. hip ranch headquarters was located
near the village.
Gauthier, Jbeldun F.
Hangelore
Tarrant Uo.,Dist. 7
Pmae 16
"When I woe 1:i years old I wee hired by ..;tevens to work on
his renoh at a wage uf 415.30 per month.
I could ride a hese and throw a repo, which were abeut the
first things a boy learned to do .those ova., but I was nu brono
buster.
There W66 one job a boy could attend to just as well as a
man. This job was riding the rangy looking for sick,. injured and
b0.4gtd cattle. un 3tevens' range there were a few low places
where the cattle would mire following a period of wet weather.
The injuries were almost entirely from brush or horn oats which
were followed by acrew.worm infection. uccasionally an animal wolld
develop bloat, which remulted from food fermentatien producing gas.
I as put to wort riding over the range looking for distressed
cattle.
"1 would leave camp in the marling with a morsel of fuud in
mu saddlebag and ride among the cattle sorutinizing the herd. I
carri d a salve compound with which I daubed tiAu outs to iill the
werna,or to prevent an infection when Idisoovercd a cut un a
critter. To prform the work it was necoesary.to lip and throw
the animal. Then, with the hulas holding a taut rope, one must
1eve the saddle quickly to reach the anii4a1 immediately aft -.r
hitting the ground. There is a few seconds foilowiLg th:.! fk.11
when the critter will lie still, and during this time the daubing
took piaci*. That the. animal would fall with the out side up,
the riler approaohed the animal from the same aide. ix he loop
around the animal's neck when the jerk took place, tut critter's
Gauthier, ;ileldon
Rengelere
Tarrant Co.,Dist.d-7
llige 7
head is pulled towards the hens and its body awing* to the eppe-
sito direction and fallo on the side away from the hoes. In the
event the animal fell oontrary to the usual bogy, we let it up and
set out to perform. thr teak.
(Ix& iiluate criter 1As iscated, it wau always in too muoh
dire; a o u.o end run or fight. I ourried a long bladed knife
foi the purpoue u4' treating bloated stook. stuck the knife in
ti c animal's raids puncturing Its pauaah, thus allowing the' ges to
eocapo. '2ho puncture .usi made in the low spot Just to the front of
tete Lip uGne•
"Tht mir d cattle 40erti hauled oat of the mire b.;. the hoes
pulling by means of the auddle. “ith the lassie tied to the pommel
and the loop pleated around the oritterFs horns the hose draged
the critt,Tr out.
"There riere tl,es when i was kept by and other periods when
I did nothing particularly, wzoept 1.3 ride.
"Stevens ranged various number of cattle. At times he would
lava 5,000 orimore cattle, and 1.4021 would soli stook till as had
only 1,300 or so remaining, wition wore hi; breeders.
"3tevens beught many outtlti from the sAall ranohers,and vihen
his herd reaohed a low numSor he would begin to buy and gather
Cattle.
"There wow an average of seven hands employed. At times there
were as many as lb waddles working.
"(e lived in a bunk house when not worKing too ful' off from
headquarters. Durint; the Spring and Fall roundups, tho orew al-
ways lived out doors. Eaoh of the roundups kept the boys out
Gauthier, Jholdon E.
Rangelere
Tarrant Ge.,Dist
Page rie
about three months, and then the ohuak wagon was their hems.
the remotion, in the region took part in the roundup.
Then ail the strays were soparL:ted, tne *elves branded and the
oattle mounted. Au the rouadup proaeided from onto mootion to
amother, more or 1066 atraya belonging to different sections
woulo ale enoeuntered. -,*oh rancher had some waddles, oalled 'rape',
in tue roundup crew who looked after their ranohle eattle.-
oattle would stray off of their heme rkli$10 during storms,
or when the grasing became seeress. Otherwise, the cattle would
stay within the vicinity of their own ruing*. The herd mould graze
far away, at times perhaps several miles, but towards late even-
ing they would start drifting towards their bedding ground. They
bedded near the waterheLe and salt licks.
%hills the weather was fair and grazing aufficient the herd
didn't need any watching to keep it from drifting, but wnen a storm
came the crow were compelled to ride in order to held the herd.
The more inolement the weether, tha nurder it was to hold the
aaimals.
"There always was danger vf a stampede vihill a storm was in
progress, especially when it was thundering una lightning. .hen
a stampede took place, sometilles the hard could be stepped and at
times; mere or less of the cattle would get away. If a bunch of
(tattle strayed, we would be compelled to spend some time hunting
them. Perhaps a number of the strays could not be hosted, but
these would turn up during the roundups.
In the Mansfield region there was oonsiderable weeds and
Gauthier, Aleldon
Rangelore
Tarrant Ce.,Dist.(7
-rage t9
hills which provided shelter for the cattle. Therefor*, the
dottle would not do much drifting durina ordinary storms. The
anirlals 70tQ s 'ot'dod spot or into ravine at the lee
side of hill. hailstorm wns what we drfiaded. ,hen a hail-
iltQrm b n to rut the critters, they °scam wild and woods or
ravines
would nct srtisfy them $14 a shelter, In addition to the
oattl becominc wild from fear and pain, the heaaes beckme
un-
rnnaable.. It is tie li next to impossible to Oo a thing bUt wait
til tht trm subsidec, than start to hunt the scattered herti.
'Atie I was on the 3tevens' ranch we experienced one stam-
pede during which we were helpless, and that waa caumed by a hail..
wtorm. The stonea were larcs and the cattle went uild. The
hosea utarted to pitohing whenever a rider started in any dirge
tie* except with &m storm, so we Judi, hud to lmt the oattie ga
where they pleased.
"The 10 -gall- 1 hats saved us waddles by proteCting our heads
and should-rs, but the rest of our bodies i.;ufferod bruises. The
pain we suffered from the hail made us feel thAct the cattle should
not be blamed for the way they were running. c hunted cattle for
several days after this storm und found some b, miles away. ,e
were short abwat s third uf the cattle until tho roundup and then
loaated nearly all the strays.
'Turing my stay on the ranch I redo the range and
did net tills part in the roundups. Ay only change of work was
taxing part in one drive of a herd to Kansas City.
"3tevens did considerable herd driving to the i,,Jrtaorn market
and besides selling his own cattle ho bought many cattle to make
Gauthier, Sheldon r. rage 110
Bangelers
Tarrant
Up driving herds of 5,000 to 1,300 heed.
"The driving crew numbered 14 mon which laeluded the aeaigy
and the hi ca mangler. The sooky drove the ehuek wagon tom
besides atteadieg tP t,m,e (shuck wages end doing the **eking. The
hoss wrangler was in charge of the resuda, whiah aenteined about
30 hooves. The houses trailed with the ahuok /omen which usually
went on ahead wf the.cattle4o the next clamping place.
"The extra hempen were seeded fele changing mounts, beeliue. a
hoes could not 'tend the traveling it was compelled to de at times,
asnneoutivo days. vlhile the herd is vexing loinnrely sled moving
up the trail, semi of tuo bosses are traveling fOrwerd end beck
her, and there. Then when the oettle become fretful or went to
rtutsing the houses were pat te kstd riding. Thorofare, to insure
suffieient mounts, extra houses were takes on the drive.
The trail boss generally red. ahead of the herd se/eating
the route, deciding an the clamping places fir the nights and the
bedding ground for the settle. 4hile there existed a well *stab.
liehed ges-rel route, the route was net fellewed exactly. The
kora was shifted right and left tor give the animals plenty ef
pulse,
°Riders rode at different points at each side of the herd
and at the rear. The animals welt, allowed to ;rase at their
leisure, but always heeded up the trail, exagipt when we desired to
resift some sposifie plat)* at a eortain time. Thom the riders would
bunch the herd in oompset bedy and ergo the herd foraard.
"Watering plea*s were the thing which governed the speed of
ear travel. It was seetratial to reach water for the settle twice a
Gauthier, ;;heldom
Rangelore
Tarrant Ce.,Dist.e7
day, i: possible, but there were sections of the oountry where
once a day was as often au we could reaoh water, and longer periods
n a few lucationu.
'Iiefore (uok, the cattlu would start te bed and by dark, as
u rtas, the entire hIlvd uouti ee bedded down. In ordinary ()lomat
we;;.ther four nj4;ht riders kept watch over the herd. The night
rid.i.ag was dune by groups of four working in four hoar shifts.
LurL:..ng L -he 7jIs titere were Nany depredators, suoh eattle rust-
ler nd Indians in sumo aeotione along the trills route, and it
wos necry to 6uare ugimut the deprodatiene.. The depredators
atLupede the cattle to.produce strays which they would pick
up. ,D th(! trip I made we experienced no rustler trouble, but
Jteveus had saoh trouble on previous tripe.
",hilc we urifted throaeh the Indian Territ:Jry, Indians con.
tooted us emd ed far bcef. They would be setit;fied lith one or
te, critl,ere, and we gave tnem sore -footed anials. there were al
wows more er.leus animals developing sore feet, whioh could not
oorviete the trip ond would nave to be oropped eventually, so we
were nut out anythiilz; by givi14.; the Indians sch
"The staupeue WUO anoner tni c we were aompelled to keep on
the watch for. nucleuse the oattle were away from their home raage,
the' Ifere muro liable to take fright and go on a run. ,hie the
drive I was with had nu stampede that resalted in a serious lugs
of oattle, yet there were a largo number of runs.
"e drove the cattle through Fort 4rth and croe Trinity
River about a mile northeast of where the courthouse is now luo.ated.
Gauthier, iieldon P.
Ranaelere
Tarant 00.,Diat 17
Page t12
22,C
At this point was the best pleas for fording the river with the
ollr route out of ?ort 4orth was northweat to Alborger
multy, to wnt waled ;Alan's arousing on the Red River. At
Dosn'e OrLiouing we forded the Red River. From thin crusuing we
drov northward tu ainsas Oft:.
l!orded otrams. Sowe were crossed easily, while
othore pres-hted more ar leea difficulties. Our troubles fording
etr!ams were (Lie to h. -3h water which we 000asiunally enoountered
fcilJulint-,: rains. By the titres we arrived in t4e Indian Tarritegy
ski farther west, the outtle haddlearned to take the watr readily,
bqt wren the water was high it was also runnihg swiftly. -Ath a
swit running stream the tendency uf tre oattle is to drift down
the stram with the oLtrrent. Under suoh a oonditien, it was Imes
Ear; for the riders to swim their hesaas at the lower side of the
herd end, b:• ,Eivine; Slickers or the ourled lasses, faros the wattle
t, swim aguirst the current enou.ch to remain in a straight course.
At tines tue riders were urable to aooMplish their purp.se, und
oatt19 would reuoh the opp‘site bunk tJouttered down the shore.
Perhaps soma of the o:Ittle would get iAtu bugs ur 4uicksand, and
them we would have a time pu11in tu ritters out.
"After ',7e arrived at the end ,f our arive '.Arld the ot;ttle were
disposed. of, we relaxed for terse dive Oe-iure cemillenoing our return
trip. There were qenty of amusemenli plate's ef vrious Linda and
the beye enjoyed theaselveu acloordiag to their teats. one of the
boys felt worse after three days ef the rout period than Alm tney
began their relaxation, but all felt they had a GULL tdiie.
"A short time after I returned from the i.ansas (4.4 drive,
Gauthier, eheleon F.
Range lore
Tarrimt se., Dist.i7
Yugo /13
I epent uix months buying cattle for otevosts from tue small
raAohers. Iaaw a chanoe to go into the oattle business for
Mjself und did do ue.
unele of mine owned c4nsiderable land Roar Mansfield
um; I leeded 1,3,0 %eres frem him, which I fenoed. The lease
o st me the fe_o.t.ng. Then I rode through the country buying
any oritt r from a weaned calf up to a year old, but nothing over
deur in age. In my ossture waa an abundance of 1.racis and an
excel:eat supply vf wat(x. ?hoee youni; (wattle I placed in the
pa taro ama forgot about the animals, exoept to Attoh the fenoe
and rlue over the paeture 000aationally to see held t&c utAtle were
proare4,Ang. There was ...44 feed bill or muoh of a wage bill. I
would pasture the o.ttle fur oix or nine months and then sell, if
I rec.zived a satisfaotory price. The natural ri-rowth of the cattle
net t me a ,;ouu profit. 1 oou'Anuou this buAness fur several
>real's:
"4 fenoe wee built of buards end rails, and the oust of the
fence put mu to hustling fur money. Just the time I had lay
fence under way end was wondering were I oould ,,t :2;emer muneir to
()complete tue Job, :Ake i. c. P. rui_rued built into Yort Forth,
wh oh was in 1876.
The tract °Wading had reaohed where 4irlington is now and
the cuildere were pressed for time to °tinplate the road into Fert
orth en a specific date so that they oeuld receive a bonus. The
oentractors needed all the workere they oould poosibl7 :=,,'14 on
the Job. I went to work for Hughes, a team oontrecter, and drove
Gauthier, .,.Aicidon i.
Runaeloro
Tarrant Cos,Diet..1
Pace i45
weenz prior to t4a time the read was completed into Vert 'Airth,
but by sone parliamentary maneuver the friends of Pert 4erth
were preventing adjulavugent. It was Sy a cause caargin thet the
Legislature was 4f:id in se:J:Aon. .Ach day rumorh went the rounds
to twee efect tnat ..t •orth ‘,4Jaid lose the Le;lelature battle,
followed uy a ow.,trary report. -Loh rumors oontinued up to the
day tie trac- vi:au iuid to t4e depot.
1.e day tilt flrot trein mine into town, whioh wake the final
sot in winain6 tuls race again3t time, was fl day of celebration in
iert worth for everysedy. ieeple came into ?ort iorth for miles
around, seam ciriving hese*. ov mules hitcheo to buggies or
some driving ex teams nil:cued to ()arts ur wagons, and many as hese.
back. inks largest coatintioaey was Ouw1;oyn riding mustangs; Many
of tha visitors 4ad not U116* railviay train before and I was one
of them, iocept tie work train which enulee material on the
laid. traok tehiAd us workers.
"e people an to goLior early in the morning if July 19th,
i876, which wiis Ali day the first train ran oee!r tne new road.
Yolks were cranihi; their neaks1oiig 4M2t down the track for the
train which was soon to arrive. -fter col.sidereble waiting, smoke
of tit. enaine W4C sees in the distance, then o hout from the crewd
rendered the air. Tha1k the train appeared, wibblin and wabbling,
with a low movement Ovr the track. At times it appeared the
train mould never reach the depot, because the way it swayed a tip
seemed certain.
°':;:ite train finally remelted the .pet blowing its vJlistle, tn.*
(eauthier, ,heldon
Ran 7elere
Tarrant
is., e :16
steam bot;an to pop suddeuly. The pupple4; of steam acared many
vf the rsuembled peope unu toere vas uocurryinc to get away.
24c scored felas son reLlized that Lae erkAne ma; mot u ng te
burst und t,ley returnee, inspect the locomotive. Th:re ‘/ere
spee,cnes made c :allin the future of Fort .orth; and, with
whistles if.i-t b.LI9 rincing, th- hilarity continued till
"I ooapl-:td m;i- pasture fence aud mada jood profit out of my
tttlbusineuu becteupe, after the railroad entered fort Airth, our
mwe':et improved ard it ras easier to sell stock.
bou,;flt and plotured cattle for ebout 10 yearu. By this
tiAe aettler3 movinr i to tLe section in z;rat number., whj.oh
inorr:bFled tae price of laud, uncle deuired to al _ t.vaots from
the land which I had Leased. Itwl,:ht 1C) cor'- a from him and
st'astee. my farmin,: clIreer
"Other rn.chers, who continued 1 tne machin, bauiness, legan
to alovt3 th ir uerds wet, id tL&n runchil; grad ly ceased in the
iixnufielo Tore:ion.
ohull rPlate one mon cln;Lem of tha early rays, which waa
followed -7hie 1 wz cni.d.
"Matches wc-o scarce and e,-;ponnive. old sulphur matoh
oat 104 a ba:;; am', 013, noxe,-.1 wore not much, if any, lizrger titan
th3 penny box of today. Therefore, we used matohos sparingly and
a few were kept for emergenoy use.
";?Ii.e flint and steal were amid to 1iht a Iii000 of punk or
toner for starting fires. Also, we would set fire t a tree stump,
whit* would barn slowly for several days. .hen we wanted to start a
Gauthinr, 3heldon 7,
Range:Lore
Tarrant 00.,DiFt.;:7
loo :17
17Y:t;
flro, vs would Iclook off c piss," of tiLe burninp: wood and corry
it to tiw fireplace.