Tales from the Trail

Series # 17

Barbed Wire - Once barbed wire was introduced by Glidden it changed forever ranching and livestock producton not only in Texas but the rest of the United States. The following article appeared in the Texas Live Stock Journal, Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday April 21, 1883.

Series # 16

Stock Raisers held meeting at Graham City for their first organizational meeting in 1877. During the 1870's as the livestock industry began to develop in Texas and the southwest, thieves ran off thousands of dollars worth of livestock, creating great havo...read more »

Series # 15

A cattle thief, brand blotcher and fence cutter captured. Thieves caused great frustration and much financial loss to cattlemen in Texas during the early 1880's. Texas Live Stock Journal, July 28, 1883 reported the capture of one of the worst....read more »

Series # 14

A notice to drovers was sent out on May 13, 1883, from Caldwell, Kansas. This furnishes insight into why some Kansas stockmen did not appreciate the Texas cattle entering their ranges....read more »

Series # 13

Texas ranchers seek to lease Indian lands to expand pastures. A letter dated November 1st 1881 to P.B. Hunt, U.S. Indian Agent - Kiowa & Comanche Agency stated....read more »

Series # 12

During the early 1880's Texas ranchers were constantly looking for additional pasture land to turn their cattle on. The country to the north of the Red River, (Indian Territory) provided grand promise as described in the Texas Live Stock Journal, dated Oc...read more »

Series # 11

The smell of burning hide and hair was part of branding with a hot iron in the past as it is today. Ranchers and farmers alike know that personal indentification of their livestock was and is critical to slowing their loses due to thief....read more »

Series # 10

In the old west having a horse was often needed to survival. However, occasionaly thievies took what wasn't their's and as in the following story, when they were caught justice was extremely painfull. This was reported in The Texas Live Stock Journal date...read more »

Series # 9

Horses were vital to driving cattle up the trail during the 1860's through the 1880's and when a thief decided to take what wasn't his, justice was often very painful....read more »

Series # 8

The Texas Live Stock Journal for Saturday, December 1, 1883 announced....read more »

Series # 7

Rattlesnakes on giant Texas King Ranch were a common sight. For every famous name that has been associated with the west, there are thosands of forgotten people who rode the dust choking cattle trails....read more »

Series # 6

Colonel C. C. Slaughter - giant Texas rancher was interviewed while visiting Chicago. His comments appeared in the "TEXAS LIVE STOCK JOURNAL SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 1882...read more »

Series # 5

PART II OF WHAT IS A MAVERICK? This is a follow-up to a story entitled ORIGIN OF THE TERM MAVERICK, appearing in the "Texas Live Stock Journal" dated May 1906...read more »

Series # 4

Cattle owners are desperate--Texas Fever carried by longhorns crossing into the state of Kansas caused great losses to livestock producers. Something had to be done! As a result, the following notice to drovers appeared in the "Kansas City Live Stock Indi...read more »