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The Spring Roundup |
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When the range was closed, it was up to the
range superintendent to set the date for the spring roundup. Cattle that
had been allowed to graze freely throughout the winter would be sorted by
ranch owner representatives. The roundup would last from thirty to thirty-five
days. Activities that were part of the roundup can be seen in Smith’s
photographs:
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 Erwin E. Smith (1886–1947) Emory Sager of the Shoe Bar Ranch on "Old Blue," his marvelous cutting horse, taking a steer out of a herd. Shoe Bar brand is plainly visible on some of the cows. Shoe Bar Ranch, Texas. 1912 Nitrate negative Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas LC.S59.033 |
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The roundup process included branding, castrating, and dehorning new calves. Mature steers (beeves) were cut out of the herd and driven to market. The remaining cattle were returned to their own range. This was extremely hot, bloody, and tiring work, but such a gathering also provided the cowboys some excitement and camaraderie with fellow cowhands from many outfits. For the roundup to proceed successfully, all the different outfits’ cowboys had to cooperate. This is what one cowboy said about the spring roundup: On the appointed day big chuck wagons, drawn by four or six mules, would
begin to arrive at the designated meeting place, and following the wagons
would come droves of cowboys, driving herds of cow ponies; and from all
directions would come one, two, three, and sometimes half a dozen men
with their packs and little bunches of saddle ponies, these being the
small ranchmen or men from other districts, come to join the work. On
reaching the camp ground they would inquire for the particular outfit
with which they wanted to work, and if it had not arrived they would throw
in with any outfit and wait until the one they wanted did arrive. There
would generally be a wait of three or four days, giving everybody time
to get in before the work began. . . . At these meetings every phase and
character of cowboy life asserted itself. It was everything from a singing
convention to a theological argument. . . mumble-the-peg, poker, fuzzy-guzzy,
chuck-a-luck, and other innocent amusements were the social events. As
there were generally from ten to fifteen wagons and twenty-five to thirty
men with each wagon, the number of men at one of these gatherings can
easily be estimated at from two hundred and fifty to four hundred.
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The Fall Roundup | ||||||
| The fall roundup was similar to the spring roundup, except
that cattle were not cut out for transport to market. New calves were branded,
castrated, and dehorned. Strays were cut out and returned to their ranges
by the stray men who would travel from outfit to outfit. Click here to view more spring and fall roundup images | ||||||
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