TX BIOS: H. S. Lewis 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. 0001 [???] Range-lore Annie McAulay Maverick, Texas RANGE-LORE H. S. Lewis was born in Louisiana in 1878. He came to Texas at the age of eighteen and began working on a ranch in Coleman County. Mr. Lewis says: "I got my first ranch job when I was seventeen years old. I came out to visit my uncle, Robert Sloane, in Coleman County, and he put me to riding or helping break bronc horses. I helped with round-ups and such things, too. After a few months I got homesick and went back to Louisiana for a spell, but came back later and this time I stayed. "I worked on ranches in Coleman and Runnels County for many years. I learned something about cattle, horses and men. My brother-in-law, Lem Cresswell, has lived in Coleman County since 1875. I've heard him tell some wild and NOTE: [???] 00022woolly stories about the west, when he was a pioneer. He told about how the Indians raided his place and stole his horses. How they had drouths and other things to put up with. "I heard him tell how one old timer, Fogg Coffey, who is still living, traded two old ponies, a wagon and a side of bacon, to some poor, discouraged, drouth-stricken home-steaders for two sections of land in the bend of the Colorado River. All the homesteader wanted was a way to live and a little something to eat. Mr. Coffey still owns the land. "The open range days were over when I came out here. They conducted their round-ups and drives about like they do on ranches now. We only had to drive 'em the short distance to the railroad, and of course the round-ups didn't take long, as they had fences. "I remember the first or about the first bronc I ever tried to ride, I was working in Coleman County. I climbed onto the bronc one morning after my uncle told me they'd be calling me softie if I didn't take to riding the wilder ones more. So I was determined to try to learn to ride as good as the best rider on the place and he was a good one. Old Jim Cotton could almost ride anything, no matter how high or wide he pitched. And so I climbed on old Sorrel and he lit in to pitchin' and I lit in with my spurs and 00033quirt. He bucked me off the first time I got on him, and how the other boys yelled! That was the kind of fun they was looking for. But I wasn't satisfied, so I climbed on him again and this time I stuck. After that I didn't mind ridin' 'em. "I lived in Ballinger seven years. During that time I traded or bought and sold cattle. I moved to the Rio Grande Valley in 1910. I worked with cattle some, but soon got an engineering job which I kept for many years. I moved back to Ballinger and went into the produce business. I have been in the same business at Robert Lee for about a year. I like it over here. The west is still the west. Any day you can look out and see cattle on the hills and hear the jingle of spurs and the clump, clump of boots as cowmen walk down the streets of our little town." ****** REFERENCE: H. S. Lewis, Robert Lee, Texas. Interviewed July 18, 1938. 00041Mrs. Annie McAulay Maverick, Texas Runnels County [DEL: Not Folklore :DEL] Folkstuff - Rangelore Page 1. [??] COWBOY LORE H. S. LEWIS was born / in [DEL: Louisianna :DEL] Louisiana in 1878. He came to Texas at the age of eighteen and began working on a ranch in Coleman [DEL: " :DEL] County. [DEL: He was married to Lexie James of Coleman County in [?]. :DEL] Mr. Lewis says: "I got my first ranch job when I was seventeen years old. I came out to visit my uncle, Robert Sloane, in Coleman County, and he put me to riding or helping break bronc horses. I helped with round-ups and such things, too. After a few months I got homesick and went back to Louisiana for a spell, but came back later and this time I stayed. "I worked on ranches in Coleman and Runnels County for many years. I learned something about cattle, horses and men. My brother-in-law, Lem Cresswell, has lived in Coleman County since 1875. I've heard him tell some wild and wooly stories about the west, when he was a pioneer. He told about how the Indians raided his place and stole his horses. How they had drouths and other things to put up with. "I heard him tell how one old timer, Fogg Coffey, who is still living, traded two old ponies, a wagon and a side of bacon , to some poor, discouraged, drouth-stricken home-steaders for two sections of land in the bend of the Colorado River. All the homesteader wanted was a way to leave and a little something to eat. Mr. Coffey still owns the land. NOTE: Runnel's [?] (?) "The open range days [DEL: [?] :DEL] were over when I came out here. They conducted their round-ups and drives about like they do on ranches now. NOTE: C12 - 2/11/41 - Texas 00052Page 2. We only had to drive 'em the short distance to the railroad, and of course the round-ups didn't take long , as they had fences. "I remember the first or about the first bronc I ever tried to ride, I was working in Coleman County. I climbed on /to the bronc one morning after my uncle told me they'd be calling me softie if I didn't take to riding the wilder ones more. So I was determined to try to learn to ride as good as the best rider on the place and he was a good one. Old Jim Cotton could [DEL: [??] :DEL] almost ride anything, no matter how high or wide he pitched. And so I climbed on old sorrel and he lit in to pitchin' and I lit in with my spurs and quirt. He bucked me off the first time I got on him , and how the other boys yelled ! That was the kind of fun they was looking for. But I wasn't satisfied, so I climbed on him again and this time I stuck. After that I didn't mind ridin' 'em. "I lived in Ballinger seven years. During that time I traded or bought and sold cattle. I moved to the Rio Grande Valley in 1910. I worked with cattle some, but soon got an engineering job which I kept for many years. I moved back to Ballinger and went into the produce business. I have been in the same business at Robert Lee for about a year. I like it over here. The west is still the west. Any day you can look out and see cattle on the hills and hear the jingle of spurs and the clump, clump of boots as cowmen walk down the streets of our little town. "0006BIBLIOGRAPHY-- H. S. Lewis, Robert Lee, Texas. Old cowhand and pioneer citizen of West Texas. Interviewed July 18, 1938. ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. 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