TX BIOS:  Granville Mashon
   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
   
   Elizabeth Doyle
   
   San Angelo, Texas. Interview
   
   Page one Tales - Personal Anecdote
   
   RANGE-LORE
   
   Granville (Dad) Mashon of Barnhart came from Brown County, Texas, to
   Irion County when a very small lad. He says he started with the Bal-4
   outfit when he was just large enough to walk, meaning of course that
   he was of a ranch family and was on the job from the beginning. His
   story follows:
   
   "I started my range experience when I came with my parents to Irion
   County as a toddling youngster. They were ranch people and I never
   knew anything else. I learned to ride almost before I could remember.
   Old Gouch was my faithful old standby and I rode him long after I was
   old enough to cut cattle. He was an old white horse and seemed to get
   whiter as the years went by.
   
     NOTE: C12 - 2/11/41 - Texas
     
   00022I don't know exactly how old he was when he died but he was a
   gettin' up in years and I felt like I'd lost my best friend when he
   died.
   
   "There were quite a few Indians when we came here and they were still
   wild enough to be dangerous but our worst encounters with them was
   when we would be out on drives and come upon them. They would always
   demand a whole beef if not more and if we even hesitated to give it,
   they would stampede our herd and get more than they asked for. We were
   moving a herd across the Pecos once and just before we got to the
   river two old Indian warriors came riding out meeting us. One of them
   could talk a little English and as he approached our boss he said,
   'Beef, beef?' This was his first experience with the Indians and he
   started in to tell them that they would be killed if they didn't go
   back and 'tend to their own business. At this the Indian began moving
   his arms and gesturing wildly, trying to make him understand that they
   meant stampede or a beef. I pushed old Gouch up by the side of the
   boss and said, 'Better give 'em one than several.' He yet didn't quite
   get it but he knew that I knew what I was talkin' about so he said to
   the Indian, 'Pick him out.' They grinned at each other, nodded, and
   then rode up and down the herd a few times, muttering and jabbering
   before they pointed out a big fat steer. They 00033knew their beef
   cattle all right and the boss said, 'Cut him out, boys,' which we did
   and went on our way without being molested further.
   
   "Old Gouch was noted for how long he would stand if I dropped my reins
   on the ground and left him. As the boys would say, if Gouch was
   "grounded" he would stand there 'til he died if I didn't go back and
   pick up the reins.
   
   "I have seen as many as 50,000 head of cattle being handled by ten or
   twelve cowboys. In fact, I was in a bunch of about 30,000 once when
   ten of us boys carried them to Wyoming. We had lots of fun and lots of
   hardships. It rained nearly every day we were out and we had to sleep
   in wet blankets nearly every night if we got to sleep at all. Guess
   that's why I'm doubled up here in this chair with the rheumatiz now
   and can't get out.
   
   "Bad weather and strange surroundings always made the cattle
   troublesome. On this drive to Wyoming we had one of the worst
   stampedes I was ever in. Lightning was the usual cause during bad
   weather and when it got to playin' up and down their horns we knew we
   were in for it. It seemed that one always took the lead and when the
   start was made that's all it took. The mud flew as they ran pell-mell
   over everything in their path. We ran those rascals eight long, dark
   hours before we even slowed them down. When we finally did 00044got
   them stopped we were so tired and hungry we didn't much care what
   happened but by the time we got breakfast and got settled down for
   some rest, up rode several Indians on some old poor ponies and made it
   very plain that they had plenty more Indians that they could bring out
   if we failed to give them two beeves. We thought by their asking for
   two that they must have a bunch as they never thought of but one meal
   at a time and usually asked for only one. We gave them the two beef
   cattle and were glad to be rid of them at that.
   
   "Some of the old days I wouldn't mind living over again but not all of
   them, for times were pretty tough most of the time for me and I'll
   just take mine the rest of the way here in the little old town of
   Barnhart, nursing my rheumatiz and thinkin' it all over, day after
   day." 0005Range-lore
   
   Elizabeth Doyle
   
   San Angelo, Texas.
   
   BIBLIOGRAPHY
   
   Granville Mashon, Barnhart, Texas, interviewed, November 18, 1937.

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