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2snge-lore
Annie :cAulay
;averick, Texas
RANGL-LORL
Pare one
T. Padgett was born in Coryell County Texas, June 25,
1859. He moved to Runnels County in 1889 and nettled on a
ranch on Valley Creek, a few miles northwest of lallinger.
r. Padgett says: ',my father was a millright before he
became interested in stock raising. He started ranching in
Coryell County where T we born, si little later he moved to
L-cClennan County, where he operated a pretty big stock ranch.
Vie lived in Viaoo during the Civil War. 1,y father raised horses
as well as cattle. He always had three or four hundred head of
horses on his ranch.
"I began riding when about ten years old. There was al-
ways plenty of wild horses, and so after a few years, I learned
to ride the meanest of 'em. I really enjoyed it, I guess. I
thought it a peck of fun then. I always helped to break my
+T.
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fathers horses, but of course that wasn't all I did, and I
never rode for money. It wee all open range country then and
our cattle, would drift plum down as far as Little River and
other streams. We tried to sort of keep up with the herd as
there were cattle thieves them days,
"Vie always had two big round -ups a year, one in the
spring and one in the fall of the year. Here is the way we'd
do it. e,with other neighboring ranchers would round up all
the -herds, not all at the same time but we'd take one small
section at the time, round up everything in that part, brand
the calves ond,cut out whet we wanted to sell, hold them, and
when we were through, turn the others loose. e usually round-
ed up several hundred at a time. They'd have a range boss, then
there'd be all the ranch bosses, most of their cowhands, and as
many cooks and horse wranglers as was needed. Sometimes there'd
be a hundred or more men in the whole outfit.
"I remember one trip my father and me made. It was worse
than any cattle drive 1 was ever on. It was sometime in the
early seventies. Ae took sixty-five saddle horses to Arkansas
to sell. We had to watch our horses mighty close on account of
Indians. They wasn't on the warpath then but they would sure
steal horses if they got a chance.
"I had to ride nearly every one of them horses. Some of
'em had been ridden one or two times and some of 'em not a -tall.
You see they was saddle horses and when we'd sell one we'd have
to ride him for the buyer before he'd take him. I was sure
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glad when we had sold the last ones and turned our tams to-
ward home.
"The women didn't ride much in l'!celennan County, except
on a side saddle and they had to be helped on then.
"There was a ranch woman in Posque County, aunt Liza
Laall, that had several girls, and they could ride outlaw
horses or anything.. L;he didn't'have a. cowboy on the ranch
that could beat 'em ridint bronos, or working cattle either.
"I still remember the Indians. Ly father said he'd help-
ed to chase lots of the Eedskins but never killed one.
"When father a.;:d mother married, they went from Coryell
to Comanche County on their bridal tour. They rode mules
rather than horses because, as my father said, a mule could
smell an Indian for miles. And that helped to make the trip
safer.
"I can remember when the Indians would try to steal the
stock, especially horses from the settlers, Olen I was about
twelve years old some Indians made a raid on a ranch in Eosque
County, not so many miles from us. The owner caught them
stealing and tried to stop them but they killed him. some of
the white settlers nearby took in after the Pedskins, and shot
one. The other Indians were so frightened or surprised that
they went off end left the dead one where he fell and never did
come bee' for him. t guess the7 must've give 'em a real scare
that time.
In les9 I moved with my wife, a few belongings and three
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hundred and fifty head of cattle to Runnels County. We settled
on Valley Creek a few miles west of Runnels City. We had a
hook of a time moving to Runnels. It rained on us all the way.
It had been dry I think, but it was sure plenty wet that spring.
"The county up and down Oak and Valley Creeks was all most-
ly open r•nge then. In 1690 we had a big round -up, or I should
say, round -ups. There were three- one near the Wylie ranch and
the river, one further north near where Norton now is, and the
last on Valley Creek three or four miles south of Aligate.
"We had some drouths to contend with after I came to Pun-
nels. In 1692 many of the ranchers were forced to seek water
and grass elsewhere. I moved my cattle south, down near Fort
LcKavett. It was move or let 'em starve. I've seen good times
and hard times, I've had _my ups and downs of course. I had an
up and a down too last year. I climbed a tree to thrash sone
pecans on my place, and fell down out of it all the way to the
ground, crippling myself for life, and Ism almost helpless now.
Lut I oonsole myself that I had alrecdy lived and enjoyed a
long and aotive life."
Range -lore
Annie i'eAulay
1Laveriek, Texas
BibLIOGRAPHY
T. Padgett, Ballinger, Texas, interviewed March 15, 1938.