Document text
I.A.L -at
hips, ;oody
RAlgelore
-7arrant Co., Dist. -1
tc
Page _A
7:01. Childers, 11, wee born on his father's
stock farm in Wood Co. When Childers we
twO, his father decided to move near his
relatives in Cook Co., so he moved and
settled on Sivells Bend, in Cook CO. Tvo
Yrs. later, the family moved back to Nood
Co. *here his father establishe the first
gin. Then Childers was five, his father
removed to %Yells Bend, and established
a stook farm. His father' and Col. Jot
qunter established therTurkel- 'ack Ranch
in Cook Co., Childers was 13. 71hen he was
18, he was employed as a _cowboy on the
ranch. Colonization of the property began
when he was.21, and was completed when he
was 23. He and hie father then retired to
the stock farm at Sivells Bend. Following
his father's death in 1900, he sold the
stow( farm and moved to Abilene, Texas,
where he now resides. His story:
FC
Yes sir, I was born on the range when it was all open, end
my whale family,.kinfolki and all, were on it at the time.
the tangs, itself has changed completely, I still have a son in the
saddle end making good. His name's ';ecil Alilders, and he's a
polo and rodeo rider. Ie's in the show here at the Fort 7--Iorth
rodeo right now, and stands pretty high. 1 reckon you've heard
about him, though, so T'll tell you about myself. 7e sort of took
after his dad about his hosts topping.
Now to begin wlth, 1 was born on my dad's stock farm in
od Co., 3ept. 5, 1888. I don't recollect much about the first
place because my dad moved the family to Sivells 7.,end in Cool: Co.
when I wasn't but two years old. 7e done that to work with A.Y.
'nd. 3unter, a couple or uncles of mine tliho ran stock in Cook
I'd already begun to ride ponies when my dad decided to
move back to 'Jood Co. when I wasn't that four. I still don't recollect
much tbout that, either, but 1 do know -that he put up the first one
Phipps, oody
Rengelore
Torrent Co., Dist.
page #2
Irc
hoss gin ever in "lood Co. tbpt year. The next year, bed sole out
his gin nt a good profit and move: back to Sivells Bend, taking
four wagon loads of lumber to build a house with.
Now there's a thing about thnt country th, t can't te seen
any where %oday, and thvt's the grass they had then, ,It was so
high, that when the lumber was unloaded, the men'd have to hunt for
it to find it. Actually, it was so high that in later years when
I rode man size bosses, the grass'd turn the rowels on my boots, and
I'd be topping a hose about 14 hands high. It was from knee to hip
high on an ordinary man,- end when we be in there, ruming the
mowing machine and putting up hay for the Winter, we'd never see
the blade. 2he only way we knowed where the blade was, was by
watching the gratis right even to the right of where we had the
machine. It'd rise up, than leen to one side. It was so thick
thnt it didn't even fall when it was out but leaned on other grass.
It Only fell when we came along and stacked it for drying. You've
seen the big haystacks they have on farms? that's what IT mean.
P:nother"thing, t)o, and that's when cattle laid down. You %gust had
to alMmst stumble over them to find them in the greats.
?he location of the place dad built was just 11. of where
Ininsville is now, and on the old Buffelo Tilde Trail. Just after
we settled there, my Uncle Harper Cunter moved in with a fair
sized hops navvy, and he hadn't been there two months 'til the
'Indians raided his hoes herd and got every head. Now, the way they
done it, was to shoot the old Gm: 14111 ultra with arrows to keep
her _from giving the alarm, then drove the oavvy off. Soo0's Uncle
Hprper found it out, he organized e bunch of the neighbors crild
ot;ascid the Indians. They lost a lot øt time because they had to
Phipps, Woody
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. 17
Page 43
FC_
trail the Indians every step of the way. Just to show you how the
old timers could do it, though, they caught up with the Indians
in the .1erritory and would've fought them if they hadn't have run.
The trailers might have lost the hoes cavvy if they'd have give
chase, so they let the red skins go and took care of the bosses.
They got every heed back.
I really didn't pay so much attention to dad's place
while a kid, but I can tell you about. myself. I learnt to ride
hosses so well that by the time I was six, I could ride,a runLing
ho* s barebacked. In fact, I never had a real saddle 'til I was
14 years'oldp'and on my birthday, dad made me a present of a
saddle that cost exactly Zl4.00. A food oils for those days. Prior
to that time, when I wanted a saddle, T'd get an old tree that the
leathered all wore off, take a rope and work a short loop around
the hoes, then tie it up short. I didn't even have any stirrups,
and must have looked a sight while riding around over the country
in that rig.
Not having a good saddle didn't bother my cow work, though.,
because I just went right ahead, and worked like n regular cow hand
with my dad's stock. -7 dad was the first to have the Turkey
Track iron in Coak Co. Met was his iron, en nobody else run it
'til he went in partners with old Col. Jot 3unter, who had another
ranch in 3rayson Co.
I reckon I was about 13 years old wfien dad and the Col.
done that. They established the Childers-lrunter spread in Cook Co.,
and ru4 around 3,300 head in the Turks, Track iron. I don't recall
just ho -N many acres there were in the spread, but it was so big it
run from St. JO on the Notthp.to Myra on the East, and to Munster
Phipps, Joody
R ngelere
rrant Co., Dist. .#9
Page 44
F0
on the Southwest. It was about four miles morose, and about nine
!Ales long.
The fanlily never went to the Turkey Track but stayed
right on the stock farm. In fact dad put me and my younger bud,
..;yrus, in charge of the place and with orders not to neglect it
ut to work it like it belonged to us. And, th,t we done. Cy*
and at sure run that place, even though. he wasn't but nire end me
V when dad left.
That was the way of the old timer days, though. rids got
to be men a heap .quicker n they do nowadays, and ay and me went in
the roundups just like we were men. You see, ail the nelzhbors's•
.get together, an' .roundup all the cattle in. that pert of the
cl..intry, then cut out what belonged to each other.
-;7e had quite a bit of trouble with a man named Bill ",laliock,
though, because he fenced a 40 acre pasture and .so many cattle were
rained on it. 7es never lost any, except when we went to driving,
and they'd heed right for thet fence •everytime, it sc!erted. You see,
it wasn't but a one strand fence, but the strand even when it was
on the top of the posts, would just barely be hid by the tall grras,
and the cattle' run right into it. -hen they ran sideways into it,
the berbs never failed to cut leg muscles and we'd then la ve to aholt
tlli poor critter. Sure made a lot of folks .T4ad around there, and
they out it down_humpteen times, but old Mil put it right back
every time and they final- let it stand. To many heed of stock
were mined that it's always been a wonder to e why some of those
crusty old pioneers didn't out Bill dom.
The reel rerson why they didn't, was because Bill was
noted for being a bad shot, but he could fist fight and rough end
Phipps, -;oody
Rangelore
Tarrant Co., Dist. 17
Page *5
FC
tumble wrestle. In those days, men didn't shoot unarmed men, but
when two of the -had an argument, they'd give each other the same
chance and shoot it out. A)st of the arguments settled that away
were seLtled right in town. They'd be across the street from each
other, see each other and start walking to the middle of the street.
they'd usually get about 30 paces from each other, then both draw
their pistols at the sa-e time. The truest first shot then won the
fight, but Bill Iallock was a problems He wouldn't even tote a
gun. Instead he'd dare a man to meet him in a man to man Piet
fight or any wvy he wanted to make it, and the other man alwsys got
the worst of it when that happened. All the tro ble quieted down
in
when more people moved/end fenced their places. 7hen, the first
thing you knowed, the whole renal) was fenced in.
I Ives just a heppy-go-luoky kid on the stook farm, an
thet s the reason I can't tell you a whole lot more about the old
7)lace before I went to the '2urkey Track. I know we had a few
stamnedes, but not any big ones. And, there were drouths, and so
o that come to bother the cattlemen, but I can't say much about
those things.
When I reached my eighteenth birthday, dad sent for me
to come-on the Turkey Track. dhen I got there, I was hired as a
cow punch at .20.00 a month and chuck.
About the first thing I done in the line of work after
revohed the Turkey 7rach was to go with some other cow x-ranobers
over to the -1 Anchor T,' jol. Jot's other ranch in Elm ?lets in
Grayson Co. This.wns a bigger slread, covering over 25,000 acres
snd running around 8,000 head of stock on it. The iron was made
like this:
Philas, oody
Rancelore
l'arrent Co., Dist. 47
Page t
FC
Alert was quite a difference between the Anohor T iron
and the furkey Track. _0 make the Turkey l'rack, we only had one
running iron, and made three 'Jilt= at a time. Then it was
finished, it looked like this: /N. Then these cow :)unchers I
spoke of and myself went over to the tirekey Track, we went after
50 bosses that had been _shipped from the King Ranch and busted on
2o1. Jot's hose ranch he had in connection with his cattle. ""e
.ran so mnny os!les and sold too, thPt he bad to have a reular
hlcs ranch end he'd. ship them in fro South 7exas after,the wild
ones around there played out.
liese 50 must have been ear marked for the Turkey Track
because Col. :ot's,Anchor,T hadn't been put on them, but they'd
used a runniug Iron Instead and put the ,)arkey Track iron on.
e werr certainly glad of that because its a lot of wok to brand
wild bosses, or bosses that have been fresh busted. You see,
they're still wilder'n a jack ratbit end liable to cause a l't
of trouble when they're still fresh buste and you gu to
iron on the. ;chile the men Jot hired regular as hoes busters
were experts in that matter, they didn't take to that part of
the work themselves.
'e started that drive,.and its still a night mare to me,
how much trouble them ornery criters gave us cow punchers. They'd
bolt at every 'opportunity, and when one was bolting one way, some
of the °there'd try .to bolt another. 'Pre were a whole week making
a.drive across the country when we sho,Ad've made it in a day's
put sece
You see, it wasn't over, 50 miles to the whole trip, but
if end hadn't have sent as many as he did 'send to Make the drive,
211tIps, oody
lingelOre
Tarrant Co., Dist.
Page 47
-we'd have never made it back with all the hoses. The way we
worked it was, when a bunch bolted, some of us'd take after them
while the rest styed with the cavvy. '11.en they'd get back, we'd
drive on, then another bunch'd bolt. hat's the way it was the
whole trip over.
When I plot back to the ranch, dad sent me out as a cheek
line rider. Our duties as oheck liners were to keep the cattle
back from the fence where there we one, 7ou.see the -whole range
still wasn't fenced except in valleys. Then we repnireq wire where
somebody'd go through and lef-ve it down; see about water holes and
drive the stock ecron country to other'boles if there were some
f -round a dry hole-, end in general, see to the welfare of the stock.
1 rode the check line for a whole year lorfore dad sent
for Cy' to come over on the -.Iirkey Track. -flaen'he came over, dad
went to !louston Co. to but cattle. A couple of weeks after he left,
we got a wire teling us to go to Houston. 1Te met us when we got
there, and took us out to a place Where some cattlemen were driving
in bunch.of Spanish 1,nghorn steers. There were three tr-in
loads when dad got them loaded up; and he went back with one, Cy'
went with one, and I cane back to the Turkey ;rack with the other.
These cattle were nut *out on a fenced pasture for a year
where they fattened. :fiter they fattened enough, dad had them drove
to the railroad and loaded up again for Finless city. This time,
Cy' and myself wept with the cattle. Out of Oklahoma City, the
cettle were nut in two trains instead of three, because the trnins
were able to haul more :there. That's the way trains were in the
olden days.
You know, When the cattle train come out of 7ouston, I'd
Phipps, 4:)oldY'
R-ngelore
Tnrrant Co., Dis-t.
Page :8
catch the engine, and ride there, 'til about half way to the next
stooing point, then I'd awing off nnd watch the cars as they
passed by :ie. It I'd ace any of the on down, I'd swing an
prod them up before they were stomped to death. then I'd get
oCr and let the rest of the-trtin paw by vtil the.caboose reached
e
me, then I'd swirw on. Alen the train went out of Welahoma City,
.1 noticed thnt 7 hf.A trouble making my catch, but I ,.one it anyway.
lion when we cot. to .r,ansas City, the beef wasn't 619 much as
dad thought it should have been, so he ordered us by wire to take
the ca'i.tle on to Chicago. All, that we done. I caught the engine
as usual, and when we got along a ways, I swung off at tiv top of
a hill, but I notioeC thpt the hill didn't make so awful much
difference to the engine and thnt it was catching up spend pretty
fast so I swung back on. l'hen I got no studying things over, and
you know, if I hadn't have swung back on there et the first, I'd
have been left way out there, miles from nowhere. Those big
Eastern engines were a heap different from the little old hogers
2exas had in them -days. Jt course, its all the same now but it
wasn't then.
qe were met at the trin by the co-liasion co dad had,
to handle the beef, and they took things over from then on. Cy''
and me then took the town in, and I expect the town must have took
us 6n too because they certainly did stare at us. I can well
recall how they stared, but we stared right back beeause we thoaght
they certainly did dude themselves up runny when they went out any
where. :0 took in e number of .denee galls and saloons, and were
invited in on gambling .::ames a number of times. 'Alta was one
thing dad bed warned us egainst, though, so we didn't accept any
Phipps, Ioody
Rengelore
7-rrent Co., Dist. 57
Page #9'
of their kind invitations.
The second day there, Cy/ and me 'decided that we wanted
to dodge all the attention we were getting, so we steePad into a
men's clothes emeorium, and had them fit us out with the regular
duds -the ordinary people in Chicago sported. 7e didn't course any
body to stare at us then, ene made the same rounds we made the day
before to see if anybody'd make ny remerks about what. we'd done.
Very few of them shwed they recognized us, and when they did, it
was only by a nod of sone sort.
Alen in the evening of the tbirsidey, we decided we'd
.,Ived enough of the big city and were figuring on leaving the next
morning e'en we come out of n dive and sae two men holding up a
third. Since this pl,-.ae es downstairs, and the doer stood open,
these fellers couldn't have knowed we were coming nut right then.
I just don't know what to think about it now, but when Cy/ and me
see what they eere doing, we decidedto get in on the fun. 7:e
weles up behind the feller.thet's got the gun on the victim and
Cy' says, Reckon you fellers better 'high-til it before we
ventilete you./
They looked around and saw ".;y's big old bucker in his
fist, and one of them said, They're fro e Texas. T..et's at it.,
And, sure enough, they ren away as hard as they could'eo it. The
victim thenked us, gave us a -card ond told us to see him the next
thy and he'd show us a god tine. 'e lo)ked at the card, and it
had the name of a dive just about like the one we'd come out of,
so we decided not to 1,k in on him. I still had thit old card
around in my stuff 'til here a couple of yecra ap7o when I throwed
it away. Dad said it was sone kind of a skin gams end we done right.
71hirvis, )ody
PrIngelre
Tnrrant co., Dist. :/7
Page 1LO
:hen we got back to the Turkey ?rack, we fell into the
regular work as cow punchere 'til when I wee about 21. At that
Zot had already colonized and sold off his richar- T
property, and him and .dad vvre setting out to colonize the Turkey
:rack. s they colonized a section, they'd roundup Oat le from
off nother section and sill them. .1hen they'd sell off that
bunch and so on 'til I helped drive the last head off the :Turkey
Tradk when I was 23 years, old..
Dad made a wad of money off that deal, but had to split
it all with the (Col., of course. 71t3 all went baak to the stock
farm and raised rine stock Itil dad died just after the turn of
the century. Not so 1 qig after he died, Oy' and no split up the
inheritance and I moved out to bilene, Texas, where I still livi.
nong the children my wife and I've raised was Cecil, and he made
a real hossman, as I told you when _I first met you. And, he's
just stertin in the game, too. If he can stick and sta4 'til
he gets more rodeo experienee, he'll m. ke a top notaher yet.