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Pange-lore
7 P-1 c
Mrs. Annie AlAulay
.2,everick, Texas
EditOrik;t1 Copy
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RANGL-LoBE
t. H. (Uncle billy) Mullins, was born in Fayette
County, Texas, zieptember 5, 1862. His Parents moved to
Bastrop County when he was only a few years of age. It was
there that he lived his boyhood days. He moved to Colorado
City, steyed only o short time, then moved back to Lastrop
County. Ne moved to Runnels County in 1E84 and settled at
Lr. ,ullinssays: "Alen I first bean riding, I had
to be helped on my horse. I helped to work cattle in Isis
trop County- began when quite young- but it was quite dif-
ferent from working on the open runge in 'iA3st Texas. There
we had neighborhood pens for the herds, and some fences.
liound-ups weren't so glamorous or hard there. And too, the
herds weren't so large.
"4 first experience on the range in the west was with
the Cross Tie outfit at Colorado City. We had awfully good
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luck the year I worked there; never had no serious stam-
pedes or nothing of the kind. Vue sure did have a bunoh of
good cowhands to work with. We had to viork pretty hard
and in all kinds of weathel, but that goes with a cowboys
life. And seemed like it rained a terrible lot while I was
there. we had to take it night or dey if we was out. I've
slept on the wet ground many nights with very little to
cover with. But a feller got use to it. We learned to
rough it, and liked it too.
"I helped to drive about one thousand or fifteen
hundred head of cattle, from Bastrop to Coryell County in
1883. V:e went from there in a short time to Fiftble County:
and finally laded with the herd in Bunnels county in 1884.
I was torkinc for my uncle, Colonel D. W. Jones. He owned
a lot of lend in Runnels County, over west of VAnters and
also in Tom Green County, around what is known as Crows
Nest. Lie told MB 1 oould take my choice- bring the herd to
Iiunnels County and start a small ranch or take it to Tom
Green County and start one. I chose bunnels. I settled on
a ranch nine miles east of the present town of Vinters, in
the Moro ;Iountain section.
"In them days many of tie smaller ranchmen would throw
in with the larger outfits. In Bastrop County each fellow
worked independently, carrying his grub end bedding on his
saddle, although they did round -ups together. But here we'd
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work with e big outfit ad take orders from ticir foremen.
'They furnished the chuck wagon or wagons and all the little
fellers would take w%at hands he tied end ell ,::ork together
in the general round -ups or drives. If they came across en
unbranded calf they'd brand it.
"I worked with the Parramorc outfit, and Jim Johnson
we:, my toss. The l'errsmore was one the bi7gest in the
county then. I respected their rights and wishes and they
respected mine u d we got along real well.
"I made three hundred mile trips or drives for cattle
while on the ioro renoh. Ve drove fifty horses one time.
It took about sixteen days, with good luck, to make the trip
from Lastrop county to Bunnels. Eighteen miles a day with a
herd of dogies was considered pretty good time.
"I remember we had one pretty serious stampede onoe
when coming from bastrop County with a herd, vAzt never knew
what disturbed them, perhaps the howling of a wolf pack, but
they kept us up and at work all night. lAlt were watching them
pretty close and when they started running we did too, and
we managed to keep them from scattering very much. Eut next
morning we still had our herd if we were six miles from our
camp place. Luck I guess was with us, as we could sort of
keep them in between hills, it being a hilly cou4try.
"I believe the beet rider, brone buster at least, was
a negro boy that worked for Lr. Parramorc. 1;e brought him
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from Arizona to Runnels just to break his horses. There
was about fifty head of young stuff in the bunch when he
first OOMB and he rode every dad -blasted one of 'em. 6one-
times then a feller would get on a horse and get throwed he'd
say, "Let me ride him," and he'd ride him. He was sure some
buster.
"I didn't happen to knew any v;omen cooks, and wollIen
didn't work as oowhends much in the early days. They rode
on side saddles ane were very helpless. Later of course,
after they had discarded the side saddle, more women rode
end helped with the ranch work. My daughter was a pretty
good rider herself.
"I don't know very much about the fence cutting trouble
but Zr. Parramore and some others did get some fences cut.
There were a few outfits that resented fences terribly, but
ours didn't. There was some hard feelings for a time, hut
settlers were coming in so fast and fences being built and
it vas all soon for!7-otten.
"I can truthfully say that :unnolc County ranchers and
their hands were civilized end always tried to do the decent
thing. e had less trash and rou(7h stuff than some other
counties at that tine, and I believe that holds good to the
present time. If the undesirables happened to drift in here,
they soon found out they were with the wrong crowd and drift-
ed on. Of course the boys played pranks, but never really
did much harm,"
Range -lore
Annie 1:vAulay
i'a3veriek, Texat.
BILILIOGR,iPHY
W. H. Mullins, Ballinger, Texas, interviewed
.ftbruary 24, 1938.