TX BIOS:  M. C. Manuel
   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
   
   Range-lore
   
   Annie McAulay
   
   Maverick, Texas.
   
   Page one [?]
   
   RANGE-LORE
   
   M. C. Manuel, son of S. H. Manuel, was born in San Jacinto County,
   Texas, December 21, 1882. He moved with his parents to Runnels County,
   when only a few months of age, later they moved to Ben Ficklin, Ton
   Green County, where Mr. Manuel lived until grown or, until he enlisted
   in the U.S. Army. He was honorably discharged at the close of the
   Spanish American War. He has punched cattle in three different states,
   Texas, Oklahoma and California.
   
   "I began riding when I was quite young," says M. C. Manuel, "although
   I didn't work cattle much until I was nearly 00022grown. My father was
   a farmer who kept a small herd of cattle but was not called a rancher.
   The first job I had was in Tom Green County when I was about sixteen
   years old. All I had to do was round up steers and feed 'em or help
   with the branding or fence building a little. I worked a little while
   and then joined the army. I was in training about a year when to my
   disappointment the war closed.
   
   "I came home after leaving the army, and worked on a ranch a few miles
   from father's, but wasn't satisfied and left right away for El Paso. I
   got a job on the J. S. Notion Ranch near El Paso, where I worked for a
   number of years. I had a number of experiences while working on this
   ranch but only one that's worth mentioning, I guess. I helped to drive
   1,800 head of cattle from El Paso to Ingle, New Mexico. At night we'd
   bed the cattle down and then guard and watch them in shifts, so as to
   give everybody a chance to get a little shut-eye. Well, I was on the
   first shift one night. We were camped at a pretty hilly place in New
   Mexico. We had some mean and restless leaders in that bunch. Some
   feller struck a match which seemed to frighten some of them and got
   them started. Well, I'll be darned if the whole business wasn't up and
   moving before we could stop 'em. We worked all night trying to keep
   00033them together. We let them get out on a hill though, and it was
   good-bye dogies. We had a nice time trying to round 'em up next
   morning, and how the boss did cuss. But I'll tell you that was some
   hard riding we did.
   
   "I went from that El Paso ranch to Three Rivers, New Mexico to work. I
   only had one dollar in my pocket. I went to see a bull fight before I
   left El Paso and I bet about all the money I had on the wrong bull.
   One of my feet, or rather both of them were frozen, but I nearly lost
   one of them. I was working on The Bar X Ranch in New Mexico at the
   time. Me and another feller got caught out in a snowstorm while
   bringing in a few head of cattle from another ranch about thirty miles
   away. We had to camp for three days and wait for it to let up. We got
   pretty weak and so did the cows. And my feet froze. It was a long time
   before I could walk on one of them.
   
   "Arizona Jack was about the best bronc rider I ever saw. He was sure
   good and a clean rider, too. He was the craziest guy I ever saw about
   riding mean ones. The tougher they were the better he liked it. I saw
   him ride a fast and high pitcher once. He pitched Arizona Jack into a
   tree, or at least he caught a limb and saved himself.
   
   "Yes, we had a heap of fun with the greener or 00044tenderfoot. We
   called 'em arbuckles. Of course the hands did treat 'em a little rough
   but if they couldn't stick it out, they wasn't much good on a ranch
   anyhow.
   
   "I went to California in 1906, and worked for the CL & M Cattle
   Company. The cattle men in that country dreaded the overflows from the
   Colorado River, caused by the melting of snow in the mountains and
   spring rains. Sometimes when the cattle were caught in those overflows
   we'd have to go out in boats and pull 'em out. It was certainly mean
   work. It was very brushy too. We always carried our branding ring with
   us, and if we ran across an unbranded calf we'd brand him on the spot.
   
   "After I got tired of ranch life I opened up a Transfer Company of my
   own in Calexico, California, and ran it for fifteen years. I came back
   to Runnels County a short time ago and find I still like it.
   
   "People are about the same on ranches and other places, everywhere you
   go. Most of 'em are good fellers when you get to know 'em. And these
   old cowpunchers would do anything for a man in a tight. I ought to
   know."
   
   0005
   
   Range-lore
   
   Annie McAulay
   
   Maverick, Texas.
   
   BIBLIOGRAPHY
   
   M. C. Manuel, Maverick, Texas, interviewed, January 19, 1938.

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