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Phipps, Woody
Rangslere
Tarrant Coos Dist. 7:
Edward T. Plisuitta: resident Massnis Nome for Aged
near it.
reb. Ms 12841, near MA. War s
Ala. A rids, a aft he bsas a cautor on the SW nosh
from 1$90 to and later b,ght a 10 section ranch
2 i:al. W. of Pest Tex. Was 1q1o4 a Mr. Pruitt (ne
***latices) in 3*97 to trail boss a 1800 both herd to
Medicine Hats Canada from Posts Tex.
wIlet just an old man but I've surf Window critters on the ranch
and the trail drive. was born February 28, lea an a plantation
that ay dad was winner an near Mount Starlings Choate, County,
AAabama. I was named Edward Thomas Pruitt. The Thomas was after the
fellow's thatosned the plantation. His name was Thomas Ridgweey and
he let his toothariminolaw B. Turner run thoplacie as long as he did.
nit marry. !Ouse se. his first wife had diet and she was Hidgetway's
sister. Dad had the overseeing of about 38 =Imam for Turner and
36 for Ridgeway who owned three or four plantations around than,.
"I got mg fast hoes from the Doc that 'tended the niggers while
the: were on ,he plantation. It was an old flea bitten grey. I don't
guess it had an stock in it. ANA an old boss. Doc gave his to me when
I wasn't but five jeers old. I learned to ride an that old hoes b.f.
ore I was six. I'd, go around and tend to the different chores left
up to me on that boas. NV dad died a couple of years boiere the war
ended so ma lit out with us kids to her mother's. Grandma had about
20 nigger slaves on here place and it wee the same as being on the
other place 'til freedom come along and upset everybody's apple.cart.
Freedom put all us kids to work in the fields along with the nigger*
that stayed and got pay :or their work. ve kids worked for nothing
after freedom and tho nigger* got money where they worked for nothing-
Phipps, Woody Paz. 2
Range lore FEC
Tarrant Co., Dist. 7*
before and we kids got the money.
"In 180 we boys were getting pretty good size and taking an
intere6t in how things wns being run so ma lights out to San 4aba
County, Texas, ana buys a 320 acre place to build a stock farm.
brother scam ankt I had connived around and got us enough money
to buy us a out 140 beau to put on the lace. We branded our stock
SNP; later an ma got her 40 head and we branded them NAP after her
mass. 'Aie didn't have a speck of trouble while .here and made right
good. had to go in debt a little when we first come there but we
made enough ooney to go to Graze county in tile Fall,of,189 and bought
400 acres of land, about 360 head of cattle, and about 60 head of
native hassles. This place waslocated about 111; mi. from Post city and
we run the saue bmnds we run back in San Qaba County.
"My coki punching experience didn't amount to nothing until I got
ants in 14 pant to go to work whese they had a little excitement every
day. I'd cot so tired of the ittle herds that I turned qv part over
to Sam to manage and went to work for the Scroggins and Drown ranch.
It was in Graze county and was run by Pete Scrogz;ins and Bolley Drown.
They run a partnership herd of about 760 head with a BS brand, than
heti: run about 760 with au IDS brand, and Bonin/ run about 376 with
a block bar brand* You make it with a square and a line running down
the middle.
"nett was the kind of a berth I'd been looking for. Bolley was
the beet rider I ever saw and he rods the best cutting hoes in that
section of the country. He'd just make old Jerry understand which
critter he wanted cut out and let the hoes do the rest. Jerryld stay
with the critter 'til Bolley could loop it. The next beet hose was
old Shiloah owned 4 i'ete scrog6insi Wiliaah was light as good a Shoes
Phipps, Woody Page 3
Range lore FEC
Tarrant Co., Dist. 7.
as Jerry. Polley actually went to the Fair at Ilaslett, took the
reins off and won a blue ribbon with Jerry in the hoes show.
kinds old to recall much of the ranch life. I know they
was wild tales told by the hund eds until somebody started a crap
game or a card game, or put and take. I can't recall a one that had
to do with ranch life. We had music and singing too but I don't re.
call any songs either. About the troubles a puncher could have were
stampedes and other things but not much trouble with rustlers. I
weer set an Indian on the make out there either. Pete and bailey had
made a rep for taking oars of their stock before I came out into that
country so folks with a loose loop kinds missed the BS when they made
a foray.
"I saved r, money on the BS and after 3.1 years I met J.M.Oser in
Snyder' -exfp; he vas smart and knew how to make money so I quit the LS
and we pooled What money we could rake and scrape up. We started a
o ery store by the name of J:4 user ik Co., then bought a cotton in
from a fellow Oho had gone broke bei:ore he 6intuld his Arst bale. I
runs the gin while Ozer runs the store. 1 ginned the first cotton for
Crosby, Lubbock, Graze, and 5ickens counties. It was the first in
in that ,cart of the country. After the 36th bale it burned' down and
rebuilt it and run it for 7 more years.
met L. H. Pruitt who owned about half of Snyder, he was no rel-
ation of mine :Alt he anu I gee'd together so we became ftist friends.
It was through him that Oser and me sold our grocery store and bout;ht
a 1C section ranch about two miles west of Post City. A: run over
600 head on it with the JNO brand. It was known as the Omer and
Pruitt ranch out there atethe time. This Pruitt got the motionin
his
liNiippps, woody Page 4
Rangelore TEC
Tarrant Co., Dist. 7
his head that he wanted to co to Canada. Hs propositioned me about
80 times to trail boas his herd up there. I turnedbim down a long
time but I took him up in 1897 and he sells everything he had but
1,600 steers. He had to sell his 40 section ranch and 4400 cattle
for almost nothing to get away but he did it. We $ets ready to
strike the trail up to the Matador Ranch in Motley county., on the
old Mackinsie trail on the Red IltIck Manch in Scurry eounty then
attkied on it 'til we made the Matador. The railhead came to Estelline
which was right at the edge of the natador and we shipped the cattle
from there to Pig Sandy, totem.
"All the way up we had to stop the train every day and water and
feed every head. About half way up we let the critters have a two
day rest. It wasn't a bad trip though. When we unloaded we strikes
for Medicine Lodge, Canada. It was a different kind of country to
what the critters was used to so they kept us busy day and night
with small stampedes. I waslacky in that I made Pruitt hire nothing
but to hands before we started so we was able to run close herd an
the critters. nese small starpedes kept us so busy that we didn't
get much rest. One night I'm stanAing guard alone and I decided to
,iat down off my hoes. After A got down the hose shakes his self and
the saddle nakes a lot of noise. Them critters was off like a shot.
Liince I was alone it seemed like they'd run two miles before any of
the other fellows gets up to me and helps me circle them and start
theli. to milling.
"The next trouble was when we got almost to the Canadian line.
About a mile ahead of us on the milk titer was a little settlement
right on the line and between two lakes. Pruittes boy rides ahead
and when he comes back ha says that we can't go on account of the
Phipps, Woody Page
Hangelore FTC
Tarrant Co., Dist. 7.
Nosquitoeb. I's raised back in Alabama and I'd seen mosquitoes there
big enough to carry a dog or cat off so I tnoug,ht weld just go ahead
and take the mosquitoes as they came. Along 10 o'clock when it was
just good dark it seemi like the earth just roes and it was all
mosquitoes. I learned something that tight, they bit and bit and the
cattle got scared and ran. We stayed with them and kept them in line
'til morning when thesosquitoes left us. we speed heroded the critters
past the spot we had ou* trouble and crossed into Canada. About dark
they came again and the old man's chuck wagon bogged down. He says,
"Mel' with iti Let's get out of these varmintsin We leaves the wag—
ongand drives out of the valley.
"TWo miles past t e Canadian line a Sad Jacket joins us. Hes been
sent down by his sergeant to keep us from cutting out any critters we
didn't want inspected. We'd beat him to the draw because we didn't
Lring anything but VA best of iruitt.s stook so we justput him to
work as we were short handed and he was a good cowhand. dhen we got to
liedicinv Hat the inspector had us string out and he looked the cAtle
over and counted them, then he Wed us to pas:: on.
"When Pruitt got the herd to 20 miles this side of medicine Image
he settles and I caught the first train back home. That *rip was the
one outstanding thing that ever happened to me. After I got back I
went out of the cattle business but 1 always kept good bosses. 4
first hoes cost me $40., my chaps coat $8., my boots cost $16., and
py first big hat cost $8. Since the time T bought my first hoes I've
bought them as high as $326. for a Percheron in &Wow. n
-hips, ,00dy
Ranaelore
Tarrant ;3., )ist. 7
-age 41
rC
:dw. 7. 7=,reitt,81, was born on a alentation
near nt. aterlina, Choctaw Co., Ala.
geve hiaa his first horse when he was but five
and he wl.a5 a good rider by the time he was
six. His father died in 1868, and the family
moved to his grandmother's plantation. They
moved to an Raba ao., Tex., in 1881, and
established a 320 acre stock farm. Zhey moved
to Garza Co., Tex., in 1889, and established a
400 sore stock farm. Pruitt Ims employed by the
S.&B. Ranch in 1890 for 3i Yrs. He -quit to buy
a cotton gin and a Gro Store but sold the store
later and bought a 10 section ranch lociated two
=ilea '';est of Post, in Garza Co., Tex. Mr.
T'ruitt of no relation employed hin in 1897 to
trail boss a 1,800 head herd to Esteline, Tex.,
where the herd was shipaed to Big Sawly, Mgat.,
then driven to ”edioine "at, Itinede. Ilap now
resides in the :lisonic gome for the aged which
is locate. about 12 aA. from- Pt. 'aorth, -7ex.
'1.3 story:
"So you want to know a little about the old cow punchers,
dpyou? a!ell, I'm just an old MUD but T. guess I can help you for I've
sure minded critters on the ranch and the trail drive. T$11 begin
first on where I was born. It Was on 7th,rne!.a the 25, 157, on a
plantation. that my dad was the overseer on. It was located right
near "(aunt aterling, in Choctaw County, labama.
was named Award
Thomas 2ruitt. :he Thomas was after the fellow's name that owned
the plantation. is name Wfls 2homas Ridgeway, and he let his brother
in law, B. aurner, run the place as long as he didn't relarry. You
see, his first wife had died and she was "aidgeway's sister. Fe
000lon't take it though, because he aarried after the nigaers got
frae. Dad had the overseaing of about 35 nigaers for Turner and 35
for TA.dgeway, ano owne three or four plantations around there-.
"I got my fust hose from the doe that 'tended to the niggers
while they wr.s on the plantation. It was an old flea bittan grey.
don't guess it had any stook to it. Just an old boss. Dec gave
Phipps, .00dy
T4ingelore
arrant 30.,
Page P2
him to me wnen I wasn't but five years old. I learned to ride on
tht old boss before I was even all years old. I'd go around and
tend to the different chores left up to me on that hoes. y -dad
die- a couPle of years before the. war ended so ma lit out with us
kius to her mother's. .75( grandma had about 20 nier slaves on her
plcIce and it was about the same ns being on the other place 'til
freedom come along and upset everybody's apple -cart.
-Freedo.. put nil us kids to work in the fields along with
the niggers thrt stayed and got pay for their work. ”on, ttrt's
something. e kids worked for nothing.1.1ter freedom, and the niggers
go 7roney .iere they w'orked for notling before ni we kis the
money.
4
17r10, boys w AR getting pretty good size end
taking an interes6 in how things was being run so ma lights out to
36n J0),4 county, Texas, .1..nd buys a 320 acre place to build a stock
farm. Now, a stock tyrm is whore you reise stock and fer::1 too.
end my brother 'lea
bed connived v.rognd end got ue enough money
to buy us about 140 head to put on the place. 'fie branded our stock
'SX.R.' Later on, ma got her 40 head and we branded them, 1WP.',
afte-::' her name.
didn't have a speak of trouble while there and made
right good. e had to go in debt a little when we first come there
but we made enough 'money to go to Oarze county in the 7811 of '89,
and bought 400 acres of land, about 350 head of cattle, and about
50 head of native hosses. This place was located about if miles from
"oat City, and we run the same brands we run back in ;an sabe county.
'nf cow -punching experience didn't amount to ndithing until
7'hipps,
Rangelnre
-”errnet _int.
page 43
got ante in my pants to go to work where they had a little excitement
every day. I'd got so tired of the little herds that 3 turned my
part over to my brother Sam to menage end I went to work for the
scroggins and ibown ranch. It was in Garza county and was run by
-'ete ;Aroggins and Dolley Drown. They run o partnership herd of about
750 cattle with a RS brand, than Pete run about 750 with an IDS brand,
and Raley run about 375 with a blook bar brand. You make it with a
square and e line running down the middle.
"Now, that was the kind of a berth I'd bc n i»15ing for.
Polley was the best rider I ever saw, end he rade the best outing
hose in Vuit section of the country. He'd just make nld 7erry under-
stand which critter he wanted out out, then let Jerry do the rest.
Jrryd stay with the critter 'tit Dolley could lo ,17 it. The next
best hose was old 3.!Illoah, and was owned by Pete 3crogins. Shilonh
was nigh on to as good a hose as Jerry. Jerry was a little better
hose though. Bolley actually went to the Fair et FP•elett, tnok te
reins off'and won a blue ribbon with Jerry in the hoes show.
"Now, I'm kindn old to recall much of the ranch life. 1
know they Wes wild tales told by the hundreds until somebody stdrtod
er- p game or a a -rd !ame, or they kinda liked put and take.
can't recall n one of them that had to do with ranch life. had
isic f,nd singing too but I don't recall any songs ei4her. You know,
some fellows can revlember a
"bout the troubles a puncher could have, we had stampedes
Joke all of their life but T never could.
and other things but not much trouble with rustlers. I never sew an
Tndinn on the make out there either. Pete end Bolley had made a rep
for taking dare of their stock before I came out into that country so
l'olks.with a loose loop kihda mis!ied the 85 when they made a foray.
Phipps, -woody
Rangelore
Tarrant no._, Dist. 17
Page !i4
"All the time I glg, on the P7, I save,i my !nnafty. After I'd
been there for three and a half years, I met a fellow in Snyder, Texas,
by the name of J'.M. Ozer. Now, he was e smart fellow and knew how to
make money. I never knew where he came from, nor nobody else knew a
thing about hi -:1 but I wanted to make e little money so I quit the BS
and me end hI pooled what money we could rake and scrape up. 4!:
started a grocery store by the name of J.M. Ozer and company, then
bought a cotton gin from fellow tirt had gone broke before te'd
ginned his forst bale. I runs the gin whiel Ozer runs the store.
ginned the first bale of cotton for Crosby, Lubbock, 0erza county,
Lynn county,, and Dickens county. It was the first gin in that part
of the country. After the 35th bale, it burned down and I rebuilt it
and run it for 7 more years.
"I met a nother fellow by the name of L.H. .Pruitt who owned
about half of Snyder. He was no relation of mine but he and I gee'd
together so we became the best of friends. It was through hin that
Ozer and me sold our grocery store and bought a 10 section ranch about
two miles 'eat of 2ost City, in Garza county. run over 600 head on
it with the MO brand. It was known as the Ozer and 7ruitt ranch out
there at that time.
"Inas fellow Pruitt began to get a notion in his heed that he
wante, to go to -;anada. Fe propositioned me about 50 times to trail
boss his herd u p there. -ell, I turner: him down a long time hut I
finally took hiT up in 1897, and he sells everything he had but 1,500
steers. He had to sell his 40 section ranch and 2,400 cattle for
alAost noghing to get away but he did it. 7hen we gets reedy to strike
the trail, we went up to the Matador Ranch in Motley county. Ws strikek
the old Mackenzie trail on the Red suck Ranch in Scurry pountp„ then
oJely Page ,A5
angel ore
Tarrant Co., 1st. d7 PC
stayed right on it 'til we made the 7etador Ranch. The rail road
came to 7steline, 9exes, which was right on the edge of the Matador
ranch, and we shipped the cattle fro- l there to Big Sandy, nmtana.
"All the way up, we had to atop the train every day and water
and feed every head. bout half way up, we let the critters have a
two day rest. It wasn't R bad trip, ttriugh. '1Then we unloaded, we
strihks out for Ye,icine Lodge, Canada. It was a different kind of
ocuntry to what the critters was used to so they kept us busy day
and night with smell stampedes. I wee lucky. in one thi4g. I made
Pruitt hire nothing but top hands before we started so we was able to
run Slose herd on the critters.
-These small stampedes kept us so busy though, that we didn't
get mucb rest. One night, 7'71 stendinl guerd alone and decided to
get dim off my boss. Alter I got down, the hoes shakes his self and
the saddle makes a lot of noise. Lawdl Lawdi 2hem critters was off
like a shot. Since I was alone, I had to take out with them and try
to mill them es soon es I could. It seemed like they'd run two :Ales
before any of the other fellows gets up to ms and helps ma circle
them and start them to milling. 'lell, it was a cinch after that.
The next trouble was when we got almost to the Canadian Line.
Ybut a mile ahead of us, we wee on the Milk ,7iver, there was a little
settlement right on the line end it was in between two lakes. Pruitt's
boy rides aheited and when he come's back, he says that we can't go
on aocount of mosquitoes. nell, I's raised back in 1.abeme and I'd
seen mosquitoes there that was big enough to carry a dog or a cat off,
so 'though we'd just go ahead and take the mosquitoes as they came.
elmg about 10 0:clook, when it Wes just good dark, it seemed
Phipps, r!oody
T'engelore
:1!-:rrant 7,o.. Dist. 7
;3age •18
like the earth just arose and it was .11 mosquitoes. 'lent :ant, I'd
seen a lot of mosquitoes bit I learned something that night. They
bit and bit and the cattle got scared and run. -e stayed with them
and kept them in line 'til Itlorning, then the mosquitoes left us.
speed herded the critters back past the spot where we hed
our trouble,- then -crotv!ed into Canada. Along about dark, the mosquitoes
began to get bad again,iand the old man's chuck wagon bogged down. Fe
says, Mall with it Let's get out of these varmintst' 7:e leaves
the wagon and drives on out of the valley. :lien we got .up to where we
could .et a litle wind, we wasn't bothered about moaquitoes.
"Lbout two miles past the tanadian Line, a 73ed Jacket joins us.
7e's been sent down by his sergeant to keep us from cutting out any
critters we didn't went inspected. all, -ie'd beat him to the punch
because we didn't bring anything but the best of 7ruitt's stook SO WS
just 7)ut hin to work because we was short henddd end he was.a poiA
co r hand. hen we. got to edicine rat, the inspector had us string the
cattle out and he looked them over and counted them. Then he OK'd us
to peas on.
"Then Pruitt got the herd to 20 miles this side of -edicine
Lodge, he settles and caught the first train back home. luit trip
wus the one outstanding thing that ever heon,.ned to ne. -fter I got
back, I went out of the cattle business but alys kept good hoses.
•-y first hosa cost me ,A0.00, my chaps cost 8.00, my boots cost me
J,3.00, and my first big het cost me 484,00. 3ince the time I bow -lilt
my first hoss, I've bought them us high as .:325.00 for a Her.cheron in
'Snyder.
"About the only other important thing thnt hapoened to me was
when I married the widow Preston. She and I live here now, at the
oody
Pangelore
'errant ;o., _1st. 17
page i'7
sonic nome for Old sons. -I marrie, '!Asr in 1A2, on March the
31st, in Snyder.
-You know, times have sure changed since I was a youngster.
mean in how people treat each other. Alen 1 was a stripling, folks
used to go out of their way to treat you nice. Once, when 1 was
making a deal with e fellow at Dickens for some cattle, 1 got word
that my brother Sam, was diging. 7011, -Ilia was along about the
time when 1 owned the place near 7'ost. hen I got this word,s
lights out for home just hard as I could high -tail it. got lost
after dark when I wasn't but 8 few miles from the BS Panch. Iewas
in some canyons and •couldn't sew my wey clear. :fter riding erylnd
for several hours, I strikes an old road so I decides to see it out.
'fter awhile, I comes to a fence and tears it down so T. cold cross
It. ::hen IHgot onto the other side, Ja there wes the Post -Snyder
road. One of the best traveled roads in that section.
!'what worried me though, was the feet that 7/d got the word
about high noon, and there I was, late and my brother dieing. -11,
make it to the BS Ranch house', and Yrs. brown meets me at the
door. .3he'd heard about 3an being sick 910 she asks me about how he
was doing. .fter I'd told her that I'd got further word that he was
deed, she tells me to get a hose out of the remuda while she gets me
a bite to et. I was son on my way end I ot home at 1-, that night.