Document text
Crautilier,
:ngelore
l'arranL io., A.6t.
r
e7-
4410
Robt, Keen, 73, was born on his father's
farm in 1,allas co., :ex. His father was a
preacher and resided at Jpring Creek, where the
city of Garland is now locate.; He learned to
ride his father's horses at an early age while
doing the chores. He accustomed wild horses
to the saddle at 13. Fis 20 year's range career
oo-Imenced at 14, when he was employed by the
pave n'etrell ranch. -!is story:
HAL,7(7
FFAC
414-4
eark_t_h
t was born on June 10th, 1964, on a farm which was my
father's home and was is Dallas County. Tt was located at 3pring
Creek, near where the town of rland is now. Fther's chief Work
was sky piloting but he run a farm and owned a good many hosses in
addition. 1 had hankering to do any job that had a hoes connect-
ed with it but was not so pert on other work. s a kid coming up,
was nattrally allowed to do work with a hoss, such r -s riding to
th store, going for the Iail,'geting the zUlk cows, end other
work that falls to e kia.
"eather always had plenty of hosses-and was changing his
herd often. It was olaimed that for e tsy pilot, he was a keen
how: trader. I often calculated on how he co'llei mix preaching-
-1(1 tredin. Among the hossea that he would get were a good
nuLer that had snake blood in them, and some that never had a
tree on his back.
"ecause of my father's activities, T had a chance to get
plenty of play by riding pitchers. I hankered for the work and
tackled everything that came my way. I was lucky in not getting
any bones busted in the many spills I received. I must have been
e2pecially ceated for the boss because when I reached 13 years, I
was able to bust hoses and did that for the nel4jibors, and did a
-4!ir job.
'7,authier, Theldon
?angelore
rrant jo., Dist. •7
?age ,r,2
"Alen I was 14, i)ave Kretrell, who'is brand was 'Dash L',
(-L) needed andextra hand to work in a drive of a -herd to the
3taked Plains. had a small ranch near our farm called the
'!!:otley -Aanch', that he used for ke-pine critters that he bogght
until he had en3ugh to drive to his flash L'. !,Chen I -heard about
Kretrell needing a hand, I got all tog up about jining the outfit.
Iretrell wauld not take me on without father putting his go sign.
Father was not keen on letting me a:: to th- TI,Xains because at that
time, the 3killet was not reckoned as a fit place for a qtripling
tp pasture in. Father didn't want to refuse me because as he
chinned to me afterwards. r.e said, 71 calculated you would run
off anyway to satisfy your hankering.'
"1:e spoke t) Kretrell about the matter and ';;Tretrell said,
'Let the buckaroo come on and I'll tell him he can join my outfit
on one condition, and thr-t is if he can ride. A) prove it, he
will have to ride that hoss, '3nip'. Tt is hell on four feet with
8 stranger. 7e will put the kid J,a010) a spill pronto, and that will
settle the matterffor us, an kill some of the kid's hankering'.
"Father said at the chuck table that night, Bobert,
if you are still set on joining the Kretrell outfit, Tau can go
over in the r.orning and go to work if he wants to out you on'.
"I was on the !:!otley ',;'anch at the rise of sun the next
mornira:. Kretrell put the proposition up to me by saying, '1 can't
use 8 hnnd that can't ride. If you can ride that hose Snip, I'll
take you 3n. now, I am warning you the hoes has a tolerable lot
of snake blood'. T had busted some tough critters and was swelled
up about my ability so I did not beck up a bit but hankere: to get
goins.
Gauthier, Sidon Fe,
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., )411t
"40 put the tree on :hip and I put a rolled blanket in
front nd behind the saddle seat. That mete ns a br,oe helve
ylu to ntay on the leather. I mounted when everything vls all
ready and disoovered pronto, th-A the roe rod had told the truth..
That hone wa hell on four feet; lie hawgraled,crawfished
eunperehed, and gave ma several other movements for spare. I
stayed with the critter.. After a couple of alnutes„.I sloshed off
my hat and started to fan the baby over the head.- The critter soon
reckoned thnt I as able to take his gait ad settled down; You
know, a hose can sense when he has a rider in the tree that °fin stay.
"I drove it around for a few minutes when the hss settled
down, then hit the ground. Itetrell was bustino his guts with
laughter and said, 'Nell, Aid. You are hired be and now'. That
was the start of my range life
I went on the drive with 2000 head of critters to
Ketrelles ranch on the '-3,taked Pl4ns. $e drifted those mettle
throw% Parker and Yaw Counties 'til we hit the 3razori River, then
relieved it until we hit Knox Gounty. We drifted Northwest :ram
there to Floyd County, where the he3C7uarters were; The dugout,
which was all the headquarters consisted of, located where
Yloydada is now located.
ben we arrived, that 'els the start it -a two year stretch
for me, durilr vhieh I never saw a house or a woman. Durine: the
latter part 9f the period, the first- white woman -vas born on the
plains. It vls the &IA:liter 9f Dan Chip21y. At that time, the
shelter, if any, 7.-1t1duouts. That woe What Kietrell used for his
head uartere„ his office, and 1t13 alespia-7 quarters.
Gauthier, 3heldon
engelore
Thrrant co., Ast. 7
?age
"2he Kretrell Raroh meny others of _those days.
There was no bunk house for the waddles, nor cook shack. e lived
pnd slept in the open the year round, night and day. *,le squatted
around the chuck weeon to eat our chuck, and our location was where
ever we drifted the oriYtert for grazing. Our belly cheater, 'Greese
as we called him, was good and could make whistle berries
taste like something mother cooked special. le* was a pippin at
making sinkers end Fun wPddinE. our chuck run streng to beef end
sinkers, Vegetables were a scarce article. Ault we hed,in the
vegetable line, came in cans and the arrivals WOWS far betwen.
Of course, we lied plenty of bef-f end that was the fattest yearlings
that furnished the meet. Ae never looked et the brand of the Emitter
we killed. e also had wild game such as deer, antelope, and
buf2alo, also fowl that we found in Blanco nyon. e had plenty of
syrup and coffee. A.th thousands of cows around us, we had no
or tuter. e used what was called '7e1cFs -Ilitter' in the place of
butter, which "vs boon grease, or sop which was gravy. That was
what we lived on and meet wee the'main chuck.
-Because of the condition of the atmosphere on the 3taked
gains, meat would not spoil. It cured it'self by drying and would
teke on r. better taste and get more tender. fter it vvs cured, it
beceme herd and it was necessary to soak it in water before it could
be cooked. Ale c.ioky cut the beef into strips. end made jerk.
w-ddies used it for chuck when we were out on a long drag and could
not ;et to the chuok wegon at chuck time. I have often thought of
how I could whittle of chunks of Jerk- with my knife end chew it to
fill my flue while I was out looking for strays on 6 Tang drag.
7autier, iheldon
Rangelore
7arrent A.st.
"I recall one time when we killed buffal) and kept some
of the meat for four months. r!t was really better at the end of
that
"The cooking mss done over c comp fire which was dug in
the grounds and an iron grate placed olrer the hole. Dried buffalo
chips, or z*ther buffalo thing, was the fuel used. Over such fire,
the belly cheater did the cooking and I'll say right here that I
would enjoy another broiled steak with sinkers and son -of -a -gun
-stew.
"I never slept in a house or a bed during the spell I was with
the ,igh L. There were 30 of us waddies and we slept and lived the
same way. 1e juat rolled up in a navajo blanket if it was cold,
and used our saddle for a pillow. Then it rained, we used our
slickere for e cover over the blanket. I have often been asked
about catching cold fro:, sleeping _n the open as we did. Aoll,
for some reason, colds were the least troubles we had. T do not
recall having 3ne cold while sleeping out and alw,ys felt good.
:he only ti7A, we were disturbed in our slumber was when it rained.
rain was a rare thing on the plains.
"Some folks wonder how it was there was such good grazing
on the plains with such little rain. I want to explain how tiv,t
is. It is a flat country and what water fel s, at ays there. A
few feet under -the soil is a layer of rock which holds the water.
Two inches of rain there will furnish as muoh moisture for the grass
as four inches in the general run of other countries.
"The cooky had the most trouble when it rained. Re would
have to del with wet chiPs sometimes end then is when he did SOMA
-,authier, :Theldon
Rangelore
Tarrant :o., 1st. 7
Page
plein and fancy cussing. Of course, he always kept the coonie
flVed ;.or wet spell out once in P while, he would run out in the
:3pring of the year* and we would have to live on jerk.
-I reokon you don't know what a coonie is so here goes to
prattle on that. It is made from a cowhide which is stretched under
the chuck wagon. 2his forms a pocket which is used t) carry things.
"For the mo2t part, the work was pleasant but not so as to
b1w your horn about at times. s we run the cattle on the open
range and had rustlers along with Indians to watch for, 'Mere had to
be some night riding done fts well es day riding, hen a Norther or
a -bad stor-:4 hit, all hands were celled out to hold the herd. Six
riders rode the line each day and night with usual weather. :he
Indiens were for the most part, after tWohawl. That is the Indian
word for beef. They would suddenly run intotthe herd and yell and
whoop to nut the critters stomping, then withdraw end wait for the
strayd to show up, which they would take for their eating purpose.
Ye had Considerable of that to deal with.
"Tretrell spent a large part of his time watching for the
Indians, and he was good at it,too. e would letsus know aheFA of
when to expeot a visit. Kretrell was quarter Tndian and I
guess that was the reason that he could tell before hand when to
expect a call. e knew their nature. e would ride over the range,
looking for them with a Apy glas. He could tell by their aotions
when he spotted a bunch, just what they intended doing. Tom Varnell
wus also a good hand at reckoning the visit of the. vermin.
"The worst Ineian mes,2 that I had to deal with was about
six months after I joined the outfit. he rem rod came dragging in
CAuthier, 3heldon
71angelore
!arrent 7
Page -,17
rt,
like a nigger going to vote, and giving riding orders. "e told us
all to get plenty of lead in our belts and the heavy artillery out.
beoause we were due for •a call by the vermin.
"I was about lo years old and never thought muoh'about the
Indian end of the work. Alen the ram rdidsaid, 'We are in for a
good fight', thr-t put me to thinking. I was no coward but there
was n hankering for good old 3pring creek, Dallas County. I done
what the others did, and got shaped for the raid. The old rawhides
were anxious for the raid, or 'Put in their appearanee'„as they
said, so we could have a spell of fun. 1th that acting on their
part, I took courage and got to hankering for a show too.
"It was an hour ,by sun when F:retrell gave the order.
all stayed bunched, excepting the line riders. AD kept moving
slowly from one point to another all that night !,11 it began to
appear like our fun was not coming off. he moon was bright so we
c :Lad see. ..7e spied them about four A.M„ coming ed a dead run and
making for the herd. 7e took after them end headed them off. :e
began to throw the lead into them us soon as we got into shooting
range and they turned to make drag away fro% there. It was in
the open and the Indian never wanted to fight unless he could be
under cover, if possible. re troll ordered us t:) run them to hell.
Ne kept after the bunch and it was a running fight with both parties
throwing lead. :e waddles had the best of it because we were
shooting ahead of us and they had to turn on their mounts and shoot
to the rear. Ahey headed for the nano° canyon And scattered when
they reached it. e had put three off their bosses by that time,
and the bow, ordered us to turn back. he Indians could hide in. the
Gauthier, Shetdon 7.
Rangel:me,
Tarrant 00.,Dist
Cyr Find shoot us from ambush.
"They didn't make a hit with us waddies. Je took them by
surprise and got the three before they could scatter. Tem Yarnell
and same of the boys out the three Indian's wigwam off —hair and
wore it on their saddles for a decoration.
"iko couldn't al/ays get the Indians. They would get away
most of the time. As a rule, they would put the herd into a steep
and then drive away to wait for strays. It required all the hands
when the °Otis went into n stomp so we would have to let the India:is
go.
The Blame canyon was a large plase and one of the few
places in the country that good water could be found. eater was one
of our troubles, There is plenty of water in the Skillet country
but most of it is gyp. I have gone a wholl; d'iy at a time without a
drink while on a long drag hunting strays, or changing the herd to
a new grazing ground.
"Stampedes was something that always made a waddy drop his
ears. Ridinm to put the herd to milling and stop runninp is no
3unday School doings. I have seen critters put to running by Indians,
or by some strange animal running among the critters, by a storm, and
sometimes by their own orneriness.
"The hardest stomp that I ever worked in started from no
other cause than the meeness )f the critters. ae were driving 2,000
head of the Xretrell cattle from the tley Ranch to the Skillet
Range and had arrived at Seeehle Valley. The herd had worked up
to that point like milk cows. About an hour by sun that evening,
we allowed the critters to gra..:e in same good grass and remain there
Gauthier, lheldon V.
RandOlere
Tarrant Co., Dist. 0
PASO 0
FEC
until they bedded down and got as quiet as a bunch of roosting
chickens.
"All the waddles were rolled up in their blankets and doing
!pod shuteye Job. Of course, the line riders were out and it_
happened to be my trick on the line. About midnight, the oritters
started to raise and the whole herd was on the atom:, in five
minutes, 7e celculeted that not a thirw; had happened that should
cause them to run. Whatever it was, put the herd full leagth into
a scare because they kept us eein67, all the rest of the night and
'til noon the next day. 4hen we did get them critters settled
down, it vs because they had run themselves down. They had scatter,-
ed out for a distence of 25 miles. It took us two &tj to them
bunched agnin,
"We lost one waddy, another lird his flrm bro7Ice, lA one hops
broke his leg. -,7e hunted for Zack Owens. T.at viu the bey net
didn't show up, and it we the second dey .)1° the hunt that pe found
him. The wa40 had taken g spill while ridin:- in thQ dark 1114 in
fellinF, his head hit a rook. It a7peared that he never mve fter he
hit the rook, e did not knaw where he ws from, or where to find
his folks so we buried him there in the Keeobie Valley.
"The rustlers were Ai 11.3r:: on °omen as the Indians or
the stampedes. Them fellows did m)t rustle ows.ff)r beef to eat as
the Indiana did but for the money the critters would bring. The
rily the oommen in.81anco Valley did. ',then they found brand blotters
with a bunch of critters as to administer the haturalizin prodess
"I sall many henging _fra':: tree limbs, ind where there ;Aare
no tree limbs handy, as it we in 114 t A' the Skillet country, the
qauthier, Jheldon
:inneelore
:arrant ,ist. J7
rage 10
short :liethod WS used. ve used to call it the, 'Short Course Tn
Citizenship'. The largest number tht I have ever seen whe took
the short course at one time, were seven men piled up in one ditch.
was near the Plena° .anyon. Each one had a '45r hole in him.
"1 worked a 10 year stretch for the Dash TA, then quit avid
jig;!..1ed over to the 'TN' outfit' in Hale County. liob Nelson was the
owner. Te did not run es many cattle as !7retrell. It was near a
grease pot outfit but we had a bunkhouse and rte our chuck while
squatted et .n table. -lie work was of the same nature and had' the
same troubles.
"I hated to ler-ve the Dash L for one more than any other,
rnd tht was leaving that hoes 3nip. 7e was old for a hose when I
left. but 14, but he was e good boss. From the day T. got on with
the esh L outfit by riding him, he was my hose in my remude. 2ut-
sid- of being fa little tetchy every 7,orning when T mounted hi, it
was the best workinF, hos I ever rode, and T. rod many in my time.
Tre ;vas a good sedle end knowin! hods. Alen once he was out fter
a critter being cut out of the herd, he stayed right with the o itter
until it was placed where the oattle were being hunched. ',hen it
crae to rpping, he just knew what to do under all conditions.
would soot the moment the rope left my hands. if I lost the loop,
he would lay his ears beck and dig out for the critter to put me in
nosition to smear him again without a word -from me. -tat boss had
rep around the Blenco Valley aection for being the top hoes.
"Tom Vsreell was the best shot and roper in that section.
That boy could make a rope land where he wanted it -about a critter.
leg, head, or tail. flbout his sho)ting, Well, he just couldn't
miss and he was fast. e would often practice and have shooting
Gauthier, jhelden F.
flangelor*
Tarrant Co. Dist.
Page 41.
matches. I have seen Ti shooting at a mark from a 5J yard distonce
ane put six shots in a spot the size of a silver dollar, lnd do it
in let; than fly seconds. ae could sure fan that hammer.
"Riding was my game. I improved after _joining the Dash L,
and became the top rider of the outfit. 'I was calculated to bc.the
best in Blanco Valley, I soon got so I could bust the wildest of
bosses, usi.71:' a slick saddle.
"Attie taikin7 abOut top riders. I do not want to forget
Dave Kretrell as a top hand. ES could locate and get more Indians
and rustlers than any man I know of. BC was like a bloddhound after
a runaway nigger.
"After stayizr with the Nelson outfit for five yeors, I
j1Fgled to many places as a top boss buster. The gAme was Yaltting a
little rough for my s When I got to be 34, so -lait-and went back
to .i)ailas uounty where I spent my .W..1t) fnrminp.. I never did quit
hankerinF, for the ranee. There is something about riding the
range and dealing with the ,,onger of a stampede., riding the line
night crld_ expecting to see a bunch of Indians that called for a
fight, and chasing rustlers. ,All that gets into a fellow's blood.
I had more fun In the ridinF, ropin, shooti:.g; and-othermatches
that the waddie-rould hold among t4a7nselves,
ever tried for sport.
"I am gettinq old now and could nt meet the requirements
but 4 have often thou7ht of what k 11-14e gone throun with an the
range, and would likc; to do it over. After a day's work, the boys
would sit around- and entertain each oti.qer.with ion _' talk so7etLaes
that brought out the lying ability of the wady. They would tell
of riding and roping jobs that they had done, or seen others do.
than cnythinc, else I
Gauthier, Thelon
1,ngelore
arrant !P7
Plat)
"It hes bern so long since I hetrd them thnt the tales have
passed out of my mind. I remember one that Oruel Tao°, thnt is the
only name th,t 1 have ever heard him called by, told about a hoss.
to says, '1 vies working down in the Nueces ..:ountry and was needing
a hoes for my remuda. I smeared one out of the remuda and had a hard
time busting the critter but finally, the critter turned gentle, and
from tht time on, that. boss picked up the cow work pronto. The hose
got to the point were it worked c.ritt,ers clone. If it was calves
being cut out, I would turn ill alme fter the first one and he
would ke.p bringing me calves until I stopped him. 7e.would do that
with cows too.
had trained ill to come to me when whistled, an he
never failed me. All, sir. One time we drove into town and
dropped the lines in front of a .bar. I went into the joint and
found it full of erevsers. :hey were all drunk and one of them
demanded that .I buy the drinks, which 1 refused. pronto, a number
of them got the draw on me and•had me under the drop. I whistled,
not thinking about hill but because I was in a tight spot. You
know how a fellw will do. had no more then 'let the sound out
when Bill came through that door, a -rearing and a -ping. Fe took
them by surpris and laid them low in r jiffy. he hoes tien turned
to me, tDok my belt in his. mouth, and carried me outside. :'here
he set me down and stood limiting for me to mount, which I did. he
knew we had no pumpkins to roll there just then.