TX BIOS: Frank Keeny Selected and converted.American Memory, Library of Congress. Washington, 1994. Preceding element provides place and date of transcription only. This transcription intended to be 99.95% accurate. For more information about this text and this American Memory collection, refer to accompanying matter. U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore Project, Life Histories, 1936-39); Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.Copyright status not determined. 00011 Beliefs and customs - Occupational lore Mrs. Annie McAulay Maverick Texas Runnels County Page One [Dup?] COWBOY LORE FRANK KEENY of Coke County was born in Bell County , Texas , June 22, [DEL: [?] :DEL] 1877. [DEL: He visited in Coke County, where he now makes his home first in 1889. His parents moved from Bell to Coke county in 1903. His father was a stock farmer. :DEL] He tells the following story: [DEL: Mr. Keeny says, :DEL] "I began riding when about ten years of age. I can remember how proud I was of my first saddle. It cost seven and one half dollars. I suppose the first real experience I had in trying to ride, was when I tried to ride my first milk pen calf. I got up courage to get on a pretty good size calf some of the other older boys had been riding. I wasn't more than nine years old. Well, I found out yearlings could buck. I rode that [DEL: blame :DEL] calf all over the pen, while the other boys whooped and yelled. Then he [DEL: finnally :DEL] finally got fierce and ran into the cowshed and tore the outfit down. I guess it wasn't very substantial , [DEL: though :DEL] anyway. [DEL: And so :DEL] So my father got me the saddle and put me to riding a horse. Pretty soon I was riding and helping in the pasture with the [DEL: [?] :DEL] other boys. " I held my first cowhand job in San Saba [DEL: ounty :DEL] County. I was a boy still in my teens and I worked for my [DEL: [?] :DEL] aunt, Mrs. Houston. She owned a cattle ranch near Richland Springs. I never went on any long drives or done anything outstanding while I worked there, but I did get some good old fashioned experience about handling cattle. NOTE: C12 - Texas 00022" I went to Dickens County in 1889 [DEL: . I :DEL] and got a job on the Spur ranch [the?] day I landed there. The Spur was a [DEL: nie :DEL] nine hundred section ranch near the town and county [DEL: [?] :DEL] seat, Dickens. They [DEL: shore :DEL] sure worked a lot of men. It was the biggest outfit I ever worked for. It was all open range then with chuck wagon outfits. The hands all carried their packs-containing bedding and so on- on their mounts. We ate and slept outdoors the year around. "There [DEL: Ther :DEL] was lots of wild stuff in that country then. We'd see antelope, wild turkeys and other wild stuff every day. The Spur [DEL: [?] :DEL] outfit hired a man just to trap wolves and other varmints. The wolves [DEL: was :DEL] were a real menace to [DEL: stocmen :DEL] stockmen up there . [DEL: then. :DEL] Lee Self was the hunter / and trapper, [DEL: while I was there. :DEL] He worked every day with his gun and traps and often had other men to help him. " They always had two big round-ups a year. One in the spring and the other in the [DEL: Fall :DEL] fall. When round-up time came / There'd always be one big range boss [DEL: . Then :DEL] , then other straw bosses. These last bossed the smaller roundups which made up the big general roundup. We'd brand and cut the young stuff or what the owner wanted to sell. And then we'd always brand when they bought a new herd, or when [DEL: the'd :DEL] they'd round some up to sell. [DEL: In fact there :DEL] There was always plenty to do if it wasn't anything but building [DEL: [?] :DEL] corrals or digging a new well. " We'd have a little schindig ever once in a while. The boss said we needed alittle fun to flavor our work. It was usually a dance , of course , at the big ranch house, with plenty 00033of old time fiddlers and pretty [DEL: [?] :DEL] girls to dance with. " Ed Fuqua was the horsebreaker or bronco buster for the outfit. He was [DEL: shore some :DEL] sure a good rider , too. He could just about ride anything. When he forked a horse , well, you just knew he was a- gonna stick. I've seen him ride [some?] awful tough and [DEL: tricy :DEL] tricky ones. He had a way with horses. They liked him. He [DEL: [?] :DEL] seemed to attract them some way. And if they was stubborn he'd conquer them before he quit 'em. " Of course we had lots of stampedes . [DEL: during the round-ups. :DEL] We'd be holding a bunch and for some reason they'd become [DEL: resstless :DEL] restless and break away. And then of course we'd have to ride like thunder to try to stop 'em. We'd try to get in the lead of them and then [they'd?] / usually follow or [DEL: , :DEL] we would try to head off the leaders and get 'em to [DEL: cirscling :DEL] circling. Then we'd keep them milling until they were run down and would get quiet. [DEL: I went back to Bell County in 1900. Only stayed a short time then on to Abilene and finally drifted to Coke in 1901. I married and lived near Robert Lee for several years. I worked on rances some and farmed. I worked for [?] Bros. Grocery store inBallinger in 1904 and '05. In 1906 my brother Charlie and I bought out Shawes furniture, Groceries and Undertaking Co. at Bronte. We stilloperate the same business except Groceries. :DEL] I'll never forget the good old cowboy days [DEL: though :DEL] on the range. Those were my happiest days. It's true we razzed each other a lot but I never saw a cowboy that wouldn't stand up for another when he needed help or was in any kind of a jam. "0004Bibliography- Frank Keeny Bronte Texas. Pioneer Citizen and Cowhand of Coke and other Western Counties. Interviewed - April 13, 1938. Dear Mrs. Dansby, I will have to have some cards before I can make out my report for the next period. Sin, Annie McAulay. 0005 Story of the Ostrender Ranch San Angelo Elizabeth Boyle BIBLIOGRAPHY STORY OF THE OSTRANDER RANCH (A) Mr. Ratchford, merchant and old time resident of Paint Rock, Texas, interviewed April 4, 1938. (B) Mrs. G. K. Stewart, present occupant of house, Paint Rock, Texas. Interviewed April 4, 1938. 00061 Range-lore Annie McAulay Maverick, Texas Page one RECEIVED [??] 1938 WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION SAN ANTONIO TEXAS RANGE-LORE Frank Keeny of Coke County was born in Bell County, Texas, June 22, 1877. He tells the following story: "I began riding when about ten years of age. I can remember how proud I was of my first saddle. It cost seven and one half dollars. I suppose the first real experience I had in trying to ride, was when I tried to ride my first milk pen calf. I got up courage to get on a pretty good size calf some of the other older boys had been riding. I wasn't more than nine years old. Well, I found out yearlings could buck. I rode that calf all over the pen, while the other boys whooped and yelled. Then he finally got fierce and ran into the cow shed and tore the outfit down. I guess NOTE: [???] 00072it wasn't very substantial, anyway. So my father got me the saddle and put me to riding a horse. Pretty soon I was riding and helping in the pasture with the other boys. "I held my first cowhand job in San Saba County. I was a boy still in my teens and I worked for my aunt, Mrs. Houston. She owned a cattle ranch near Richland Springs. I never went on any long drives or done anything outstanding while I worked there, but I did get some good old fashioned experience about handling cattle. "I went to Dickens County in 1889 and got a job on the Spur ranch the day I landed there. The Spur was a nine hundred section ranch near the town and county seat, Dickens. They sure worked a lot of men. It was the biggest outfit I ever worked for. It was all open range then with chuck wagon outfits. The hands all carried their packs- containing bedding and so on- on their mounts. We ate and slept outdoors the year around. "There was lots of wild stuff in that country then. We'd see antelope, wild turkeys and other wild stuff every day. The Spur outfit hired a man just to trap wolves and other varmints. The wolves were a real menace to stockmen up there. Lee Self was the hunter and trapper. He worked every day with his gun and traps and often had other men to help him. "They always had two big round-ups a year. One in the spring and the other in the fall. When round-up time came there'd always be one big range boss, then other straw bosses. These last bossed the smaller round-ups which made up the big general round-up. We'd 00083brand and cut the young stuff or what the owner wanted to sell. And then we'd always brand when they bought a new herd, or when they'd round some up to sell. There was always plenty to do if it wasn't anything but building corrals or digging a new well. "We'd have a little schindig ever once in a while. The boss said we needed a little fun to flavor our work. It was usually a dance, of course, at the big ranch house, with plenty of old time fiddlers and pretty girls to dance with. "Ed Fuqua was the horse breaker or bronco buster for the outfit. He was sure a good rider, too. He could just about ride anything. When he forked a horse, well, you just knew he was a-gonna stick. I've seen him ride some awful tough and tricky ones. He had a way with horses. They liked him. He seemed to attract them some way. And if they was stubborn he'd conquer them before he quit 'em. "Of course we had lots of stampedes. We'd be holding a bunch and for some reason they'd become restless and break away. And then of course we'd have to ride like thunder to try to stop 'em. We'd try to get in the lead of them and then they'd usually follow or we would try to head off the leaders and get 'em to circling. Then we'd keep them milling until they were run down and would get quiet. "I'll never forget the good old cowboy days on the range. Those were my happiest days. It's true we razzed each other a lot but I never saw a cowboy that wouldn't stand up for another when he needed help or was in any kind of a jam." 0009Range-lore Annie McAulay Maverick, Texas BIBLIOGRAPHY Frank Keeny, Bronte, Texas. Interviewed April 13, 1938. ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. 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