BIOS:  A. Garrett

   Selected and converted.American Memory, Library of Congress.
   
   Washington, 1994.
   
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   U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore
   Project, Life Histories, 1936-39); Manuscript Division, Library of
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   00011
   
   Folk stuff - Rangelore
   
   Gauthier, Sheldon F.
   
   Rangelore.
   
   Tarrant co., [Dist?]., #7 [27?]
   
   Page #1
   
   Fc 240
   
   A.[M?]. Garrett, 83 living at 1115 College Ave Fort Worth, Texas, was
   born Feb. 18, [1855?], at Shelby co., Texas, on a farm and ranch owned
   by his father, A.B. Garrett. At the conclusion of the Civil War, A.B.
   Garrett moved to [McCollman?] co., After a period of two years the
   family moved from [McCellman?] Co., to Coryell co., and engaged in the
   cattle business. A.B. Garrett was among the first [drevers?] which
   drove cattle to the Northern market. A.M. Garnett entered Baylor
   University, at [Waco?], at the age of 17. At the age of 19, he taught
   school in the [rual?] districts for two years. When he was 21 years
   old he established a ranch in [?] co., in which business [?] remained
   for several years.
   
   His story of range life follows:
   
   "I was born, reared and lived in Texas, all my life to date. My place
   of birth was at a farm my father, A.B. Garrett, owned. The time of my
   birth was Feb. 18, 1855. Our farm was located in the Sabine River
   bottom, in Shelby co,.
   
   "A short time after [the?] Civil War ended, father moved his family to
   McCellan co., and engaged in the cattle business. I was about 11 years
   old at the time.
   
   "The range was [open?] and free at the time we moved to [McCellan?]
   co., so the thing a person needed to establish a cattle ranch was
   cattle, saddle horses and a adequate water holes.
   
   "During those days there roamed on the range thousands of cattle which
   were unbranded, and became know as Mavericks.
   
   "I shall state briefly, how the term Maverick became used as a plied
   to an unbranded critter, and the reason so many unbranded cattle were
   [on?] the range at the close of the 00022war.
   
   "A man named Maverick, grandfather of the present Congress-man
   Maverick of Texas, was a large rancher prior to the Civil War, and
   [allowed?] his calf crop to go unbranded during the later years of the
   war. At the close of the war there were thousands of his cattle
   without brands. Therefore, in Maverick's section, folks would say,
   "there is a Maverick", when refering to an unbranded critter. The term
   was taken up by others, and in a short time it was in general use
   through the range country of Texas.
   
   "Maverick [was?] not the only rancher who did not brand their cattle
   as the animals were bred and produced. Many others neglected to brand
   and mark their cattle. The reason they neglected their herds, was
   because after the [first?] year of the war, Texas became, for all
   practical purposes, isolated from the Southern States E. of the
   Mississippi River, and the section was where the only market existed
   for our Texas cattle during those trying days.
   
   "Being cut off from the market, the ranchers found themselves with
   worthless stock, so far as a market was concerned. In fact, the value
   of cattle, in Texas, was so low one would lose money paying hired help
   to attend a herd. Therefore, the ranchers gave very little, if any,
   attention to their herds. The herds multiplied rapidly. Thus, when the
   [war?] ceased, there were thousands of unbranded cattle over all the
   range, and no one knew to whom the animals belonged.
   
   00033
   
   "Immediatly following the close of the war, there existed a demand for
   beef, but Texas did not have an adiquate market. Her Southern market
   was depressed, because of the financial condition of the Southern
   States at the time. There was no money in the South and the prices [?]
   low.
   
   "During the late 60s and early 70s, railroads builded into [?]., and
   that placed shipping facilities close enough to our range so it was
   practical to drive herds to the railroads.
   
   "Following the completion of the railroads extention into Kans.,
   [simulstaneous?] therewith, market centers appeared. The principal
   market points were Camp Supply, For Dodge and Kansas City.
   
   "When these markets were established, demands and prices for cattle
   [multiplied?] in a short time. Then followed a prosperous period for
   the cattlemen of Texas, which continued, more or less, unabated until
   the panic of 1893.
   
   "Father anticipated a mighty upturn in the cattle business when he
   learned about the railroads extending Westward. Basing his action on
   the well founded conclusions, he devoted his efforts to creating a
   large herd.
   
   "We moved to McCellan co., for the purpose of securing a more suitable
   ranges. [We?] located on the Brazos River, where we operated for two
   years and then moved to [Coryell?] co., Our location in [Coryell?]
   co., was on the Colorado River, S. of Gatesville.
   
   "It is obvious to anyone, that with the range being open, 00044it was
   impossible for a person to indentify any particular unbranded critter
   as belonging to him. Because of this fact, there took form a sort of
   gentlemens agreement to govern the branding of the [Marvicks?], and
   the only logical rule, it was that a rancher had the priviledge of
   branding the unbranded cattle which were found with his critters or
   grazing on the range under his control.
   
   "There were many persons who started a herd by the simple process of
   locating a watering place, adopting a brand and then going out on the
   range to hunt and brand Mavericks.
   
   "When we moved to McCellan co., father had a few cattle; [perhaps?]
   [500?]. We branded all the Mavericks we could find in our section with
   our 'AG' brand. I, at the time, was about 11 years old and large
   enough to help ride the range. Father hired two hands, with whom I
   worked and all we did was to gather and brand mavericks.
   
   "When we moved to Coryell co., we had a herd 1500 cattle. In Coryell
   co., we continued thur process of branding all stock in our section,
   and with the natural increas, our herd soon numbered up to better than
   5000.
   
   "Our camp, at first, we consisted of tents for shelter, which we used
   when inclement weather existed. When the weather was element, we slept
   outside. Blankets were kept in the [oone?] of the chuck wagon and when
   nights were chilly, we would roll in a cover, otherwise, we did not.
   
   "Our food was coarse, but whole-some. It consisted principally of
   beef, beans, both corn and wheat brand and dried fruit. We 00055also,
   generally managed to have some canned vegetables. Black coffee was
   supplied in large quanities as was necessary to satisfy the appetite
   of our waddies and they drank a large amount of the breverage.
   
   "The cook was good camp cook and was especially good at cooking meat
   and beans. He varied the manner of cooking the beef and beans, so the
   two foods did not become tiresome.
   
   "Living as we did in the open, our appetite was always [?]. One would
   arise each morning with an excellent appetite and would relish the
   broiled steak, sour-dough bread, sop, lick and black coffee.
   
   "Sickness was a rare condition among we waddies, and we were always
   able to stay on the job to do what was necessary, even if it was two
   or three days and nights without rest, which happened occasionally.
   
   "While the range was open and the cattle grazed where their desires
   lead the herd, we rode the range constantly during the day keeping the
   cattle bunched and more of less to our range section. After the herd
   bedded down at night we left just one rider one duty at a time to keep
   watch, unless inclement weather was existing or [threatening?].
   
   "It was necessary to keep several riders on duty when inclement
   weather was apparent, because in the event a storm set in the herd
   would tend to drift and during severe weather, would drift fast and
   far, unless held back. Then when thunder and lightening were
   persisting, there always was danger of a stampede 00066starting, with
   its resulting loss, unless the riders were on hand to hold the run
   down to the miminum.
   
   "I have experienced periods of two and three days and nights when our
   entire crew, of six to eight riders, was on duty the whole time [?]
   out any rest. During the winter was the period of the year when
   inclement and threating weather would presist for several successive
   days, at Occasionally, during the winter, a presisting sleet and rain
   storm, accompainied with cold, would set in. Such weather was the
   hardest kind of weather to work in and, also, required the most work,
   because the cattle would insist on drifting with the storm. Just
   before a storm would arrive, it was the cattle's instinct which
   enabled the animal to realize a storm was on its way and would want to
   drift to shelter. The only shelter was the gullys, wood brake ot
   hills.
   
   "During the years when cattle roamed the open range, there were a few
   winter storms when thousands of cattle perished from exposure. My
   memory does not serve me well as it did in the farmer days, but I
   think it was during the late 80s, thousands of cattle perished on the
   range. The storm started with rain, turned to sleet and then turned to
   snow with low temperature. The inclement weather continued for a week
   or more.
   
   During the storm, a large number of the weaker cattle perished from
   exposure to the cold. Then, when the storm subsided the ground was
   coated with ice, and snow, covering the grass which prevented grazing.
   This condition resulted in many more cattle 00077perishing from
   starvation.
   
   "Many ranchers were ruined by reasons of their cattle loss during the
   siege of weather. One could travel over the range for miles and never
   be out of sight of dead animals.
   
   "Father's loss was about 50 percent, but he was able to meet the
   disaster. He even withstood the attack by heel-flies on the cattle
   which followed the coming of mild weather.
   
   "The heel-fly is so named because it attacks the cattle in the heel.
   Evidently, the fly has a painful sting, because when one of the flies
   hits an animal, the critter will throw its tail in the air, let a [?]
   snort and start running for a bog or a water-hole.
   
   "The heel-fly is very wearing to the stock and continued attacks from
   swarms of the flies, will prevent grazing and keep the cattle standing
   in water or a bog, where they can keep their heels submerged. The
   cattle will lose wight and finally die. During the heel-fly acreage
   the cattle crowded the bogs and river in the locality. We were kept
   busy pulling critters out of bogs, but the animals would go back the
   second a fly hit it. Many of the cattle became so weak that they
   become mired and died, before we could get to the animal and pull it
   out of the mierer. We were faced with a herculean task which was
   beyoud our ability to perform completly. We worked, both horses and
   men, to exhaustion dragging mired critters out of bogs.
   
   Our method of dragging out a mired critter was to put a loop around
   its horns and with the rope tied to the horn of 00088the saddle the
   horse would pull the animal out.
   
   "Our next most dreaded difficulty which we were compelled to encounter
   was the stampedes. You may attempt to picture in your mind what a
   stampede of several thousand longhorn cattle is like, but one can't
   visualize the actual scene. I shall attempt to draw a [ental?] picture
   of what the old rawhide viewed and contended with during a cattle run.
   
   "Of course, during a storm we were expecting a possible run and were
   on the watch for it, but during clement weather a stampede is not
   looked for unless something scares the cattle. Many things can scare a
   herd. For instance, a wolf which runs into a herd to pull down a calf
   or something that may startle just one animal the fear caused to the
   one animal will spread through the whole herd instantly. While a herd
   is on their own ground it is not so easily scared, but when bedded off
   their home range, for instance, when on a drive, the herd is prone to
   stampede over [triffles?] These conditions, mentioned, are what we had
   to be on guard against at all times.
   
   "The herd may be bedded and arise instantly. Looking at a herd
   arising, appears as if the earth is heaving up with an accompanying
   roar, a swish like sound, and the clashing of horns. While the cattle
   are running, the pounding to their feet on the earth sounds as the
   roll of many muffled drums. The clashing of the horns given off a
   sound similar that many muffled cymbols. The two sounds is quite a
   symphony, but broken by the discordance yell of the waddies trying to
   divert the hreds attention and put 00099and put the animals to milling
   
   "What I mean by milling is to start the cattle to running in a circle,
   instead of straight away. If the herd was not scared too badly and not
   running too fast, the critters will follow their leaders. Our job was
   to force the leading critters from their straight course. That was
   performed by riding at the side and to the front of the leading
   animals and crowding the critters.
   
   "Most of the time we could accomplish our purpose in stopping a run,
   but occasionally we would fail. If we failed the cattle would be
   scattered hither and yond'.
   
   "Of course, while on the home range, a scattered herd was not so
   disasterous, because we could eventually gather the cattle and those
   which we could not locate at the time, we would find during the
   following roundup. So far as the [breeding?] stock was concerned, we
   were not so much concerned about those becoming scattered, but it was
   the market cattle we did not want to lose track of and be delayed in
   their sale until after the roundup.
   
   "Suppose it was dark and storming while a stampede was in progress,
   which it was often often was. Then imagine, if you can, riding at the
   head of several thousand wild, frightened and running cattle, and
   while riding, crowding your mount against the running cattle trying to
   force the aminals off their course. Suppose your horse stumbled and
   threw you infront of the running cattle? Of course, the result of such
   event is obvious. Talk about daring riders, that was one [position?]
   the word daring does not express strong enough; sand in your gizzard,
   as the cowhand use to say, expresses such riders more accurately.
   001010"While on a drive with a herd is when a stampede was lible to
   cause our worse loss. Then we would be in a [strangeecountry?] and if
   any of our cattle strayed away, most likely our [strays?] [w?] would
   be a permanent loss. Of course, the critters would eventually mingle
   some other herd, but if we, from Texas, were driving a herd in Kans.,
   when [the?] run took place we would not be in Kans., during the
   roundup to cut out our brand.
   
   "Here in Texas, each rancher would have his cowhands working in the
   roundup crews and as the cattle would be gathered, the different
   [brands?] would be [separated?], held together and driven back to
   their home range.
   
   "During the severe storm of the early 80s, I have spoken of
   [previously?], cattle drifted for more than 100 miles from their home
   range. The cattle were/ scattered and mixed from one end of the range
   country to the other. Many ranchers didn't know whether or not [if?]
   he still had a [herd?] until after the Spring roundup.
   
   "Each Spring and Fall there was held a general roundup at which all
   ranchers participated. working as one big crew under one boss.
   
   "During the Spring roundup the young stock would be [branded?] and the
   males castrated. and the herd counted. During the Fall roundup. the
   herd was counted and [cattle?] branded which were missed during the
   spring. All the strays were [drifted?] back to their home range. Those
   animals among the herd which we would want to [?] to market would be
   cut out and held separated from the other cattle. Such cattle would be
   hreded [carefully?] to keep the critters 001111from straying. We were
   not so particular about the others.
   
   "My father was among the first who entered the business [?] driving
   cattle from Texas, to the Northern market, when the railroad
   penertrated into Kans..
   
   "Father did not have much cash. In fact, when he made his first trip,
   he had just about enough cash to pay traveling expenses, [less?]
   wages. He cut out all the critters in our herd which were ready for
   the market, and then [gathered?] small bunches of cattle from small
   ranchers to make up a herd of 3500 head.
   
   "Those cattle gathered from other ranchers were not [?] for at the
   time we gathered the animals, but driven to the market and sold, and
   then paid for. No note or other evidence of debt was given by father
   to any of the ranchers for whom he took cattle to market. When he
   returned, he paid each person the money due, less their share of the
   expense incurred making the drive and a precentage.
   
   "We used a crew of from 12 to 14 men to handle a herd of [3000?] to
   3500 cattle. I made two drives as a member of the driving crew. I
   worked as one of the pointers. A pointer is a term [applied?] to the
   rider who rides at the side of the herd keeping the animals together
   and headed in the proper direction.
   
   "After we had gathered the herd to be driven, we would make an early
   start in the [morning?] and drive the herd at a fast walking gait all
   day. The purpose [for?] [making?] a hard drive the [first?] day, was
   to be far away from the home bedding ground as possible the first
   night. If a herd would be near their home ground when 001212bedding
   time arrived, they would give us considerable trouble by trying to
   drift back to their ususal bedding ground..
   
   "With each days drive, the critters would become accustomed to the
   drive and the work of handling the herd would, likewise, become
   easier. After the first day we would allow the animals to take their
   own time and graze, but we keep the herd headed up the trail always.
   The pointers would allow the animals to spread out a distance of about
   a mile. Thus each critter would have a chance to get grass. If we
   would want to move the herd faster than their grazing gait, we would
   tighten up. That is to say, reduce the spread and urge the animals
   forward. Often we would want to make some certain point for bedding or
   reach a watering hole and would have to force drive.
   
   "A herd of cattle will travel about 12 miles a day and graze the
   while, but the distance a herd would travel, as the crow flys, would
   average about seven miles.
   
   "We followed the Chisholm Trail out of Coryell co., going through
   Hill, Johnson. Tarrant, Wise, Montigue and Clay Counties. Thence West
   to Doan's Crossing of the Red River and into the Territory (now
   Okla.,). The trail was a general course Northward. We followed where
   the grazing and water was sufficent.
   
   "From many directions in Texas, cattle were trailed to Doan's
   [crossing?] and during the hight of cattle driving, one could see
   herds fording the Red River most any time of the day.
   
   "While driving a herd it was necessary to maintain constant watch over
   the herd at night. We worked four night riders and the 001313four
   riders worked four hour shifts and then would be releaved by another
   crew of four. Of course, the remainder of the crew were close at hand
   and could be called to duty in a few minutes. We all slept with most
   of our cloth on, scattered around the chuck wagon and if called to
   ride, all we had to do was to pull on our boots and grab our hat, in
   the event anything happened needing our help.
   
   "Stampedes were the thing we dreaded, therefore, the night rider not
   [only?] watched the critters, but kept watch for anything which may
   approach the herd and scare it. Any unsual noise or object may scare
   one or two animals and their fright is taken up by the rest of the
   herd quickly. Because of that is fact, every precaution [was?]
   excersized to not disturb the cattle.
   
   "We [always?] prayed and trusted for good weather while [?] trail
   drive. When a strom was approaching we were always set for anything
   and looked for tho worst to happen with the herd.
   
   "When a storm descends on a [herd?] of cattle with lightening flashing
   and thunder clapping, the animals are going to move. [Especially so
   when the herd are on strange ground. A herd will drift with a strom
   and if lightening stricks ks close to a herd a stampede is most sure
   to follow. During a strom, at night, is the worst time for a stampede
   to accure.
   
   "One must expect stampedes with cattle on a drive. We had to contend
   with stampedes [frequently?], on the two drives I made. We handled the
   runs successfully with the exception of two. I shall explain what we
   experienced one night while in the Territory. 001414"The weather was
   one of those real [Territory?] [busters?], which contain all the
   elements: wind, rain, lightening, and thunder.
   
   "At the start of the storm, the herd was fretful, but we were holding
   it successfully, until a clap of thunder hit in the center of the
   cattle. That thunder seemed to split and start the herd running in
   several directions form the point of the hit. The herd did not act, as
   a running herd usually did which is all run in the same direction, but
   it divided into several directions.
   
   "Of course, it being dark, we could not see except when the lightening
   flashed, but the cows was riding trying to keep the animals together.
   We knew it was impossible to stop the run until the cattle became run
   down or the storm stopped.
   
   "The storm stopped after an hour's time and we put what critters were
   left to milling, but we had only half of the herd. The rest were
   scattered to' the four winds'. which properly expresses the condition.
   
   "We spent four days attempting to gather our herd, but were compelled
   to be satisfied with about [?] of the cattle. Some of the ranchers in
   the Territory had a few cattle added to their herd. This incident took
   place before the Cattlemen's Association was organized. and had
   extended its influence beyond Texas.
   
   "The barganing of the present Cattlemens's Association was organized
   in 1877. and the organization soon established rule whereby strays
   picked up by others would be sold and the owner paid the salo money
   through the Association. 001515"After the Cattlemen's Association
   became [thoroughly?] organized, about the only loss the [doovers?]
   suffered from [straying?] animals would be when the cattle fell into
   the hands of rustlers. The rustlers would blot the brand, and by
   several methods change the brands. However, a large number of those
   cattle were intercepted, by the Association's inspectors, at the
   markets and thousand of dollars [were safed?] for the ranchers by the
   inspectors.
   
   "When a drover or rancher lost cattle, the fact was reported to the
   Association's inspection department. If the critters were offered for
   sale at any of the markets containing the reported brands or brands
   which showed evidence of being tampered with, the seller would be
   compelled to give satisfactory account of how he came into possession
   of the cattle in question. If the party failed to produce the
   necessary facts, the cattle were sold and the money paid to the
   rightful owner, less expense.
   
   "Rustling became a well organized business in many sections of the
   range country. Coryell co., and its vicinity, was one of the
   localities where a tolerable lot of rustler trouble existed.
   
   "The condition became so bad that the ranchers were forced to
   organized and deal with the situation directly. [Committees?] were
   organized to handle the rustlers. Those committees would notify a
   rustler to leave the community or [dosist?]. If the party failed to
   heed the demand, then the committee would catch the accused and hold a
   trail. 001616The trials were under a kangraoo court arrangement.
   [One?] member of the committee would act as the judge, another the
   prosecutor. The evidence for and against would be heard. The verdict
   would be rendered according to the majority/ vote of the committee.
   Many were sentenced to be hanged and the hanging would take place on
   the spot. Some of the accused were turned loose with a warning and
   given another chance.
   
   "The actions of the committees in Coryell co., had a wholesome effect
   on the rustlers and their depredations were checked considerably.
   
   "At the age of 17 I entered Baylor university at Waco. I / spent two
   years at Baylor and then engaged in teaching school in the rual
   districts for a period of two years. Following my period of teaching.
   I again entered the cattle business. I returned to Coryell co., and
   took charge of my father's ranch and continued in the business until
   the panic of 1893.
   
   "At the time I returned to ranching, which was in 1876, the T.P.
   railroad had entered Fort Worth, then our market for cattle was Fort
   Worth.
   
   "About this time conditions changed rapidly, due to fencing and
   settlers taking up land for cultivation. The large ranchers moved
   farther West and the small rancher fenced his range. The open range
   soon disappeared.
   
   "I fenced my range and continued to operate until the 1893 panic sot
   in. I then sold out my herd and engaged in various other lines of
   business.

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