TX BIOS:  Dr. A. S. Rattan, Tarrant CO. TX
   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
   
   Phipps, Woody
   
   Rangelore
   
   Tarrant Co., Dist. 7 [Folkstuff - Range Lore 91?]
   
   Page #1
   
   FC
   
   Dr. A.S. Rattan, 75, was on his father's stock ranch at Greenville,
   Tex. Dr. Rattan learned to ride a horse at an early age and was doing
   regular cowboy work at 10 years of age. His father moved the family to
   Breckenridge with 200 head of cattle and 50 horses in 1877, and
   established a ranch on Cedar Creek. His father sold out in 1880 to
   move his family to Fort Worth where his children could receive an
   education. Dr. Rattan learned medicine and was a country doctor for
   many years. He later operated drug stores in Fort Worth, then retired
   to the Masonic home for the Aged in 1934, which is located about 12
   Mi. E. of Ft. Worth, Texas. His story:
   
   "Well, I guess I can tell you a little about the range life because I
   was born with cattle, rode a hoss when I was so young that I can't
   recall when I learned, was a puncher before I was 10 years old, then
   on top of that, I was one of the old time saddle bags doctors.
   
   "First, I was born in Runt county, near Greenville, Texas, on November
   the 1st, 1862. My dad and granddad run cattle on the outskirts of
   Greenville when I was born. I don't recollect my granddad's brand but
   I know that dad branded a figure 71 on the left hip of his critters.
   Reason I know that was because I looked at them so much when I was
   just a kid. Why, I had to do regular cowpunching work before I was
   ever taught any reading and writing atall.
   
   "My dad had been a Confederate soldier and it seemed like the
   Unionists had the upper hand and was trying to run things like thay
   wanted it so times got pretty squally before dad decided to move out
   of it all. He sold everything in 1877 but 200 mother cows and 50
   native hosses.
   
     NOTE: C12 - 2/11/41 - Texas
     
   00022He loads what he wants us to take with us in an old box wagon
   cart, hitches his team of oxen to it, loads mother and sis' into a
   hack pulled by a couple of ponies, then we lights out for the [West?].
   
   "Man! Man! Was I thrilled? Why, I'd heard about the West all of my
   life. I'd heard about big ranches, rustlers, Indians, and what not the
   same as kids hear nowadays. It sure wasn't no trouble to rouse me out
   in the mornings and get the herd started to drifting. I was always
   ready. If it was necessary, I'd stand the night watch and drive all
   the next day too. I wanted to get there. I was in for a
   disappointment, though, because it was a day of small ranches and the
   old timers had gunned the varmints out of the country. Why, the wild
   game wasn't even so plentiful at that time.
   
   "Of course, there was lots of excitement and something going on every
   day. I forgot to date our trip out there, we started on June the 1st,
   1877, and arrived on Ceder Crick, seven mills East of Breckenridge, in
   Shackelford county, Texas, on July the 1st., Just one month on the
   road.
   
   "The first thing we did after getting onto dad's land was to throw up
   a little old log cabin and a canvas wall for another room. Dad
   rebranded all of his cattle, putting the running M on every head. Now,
   the running M is made without any sharp corners. Just make an M that's
   all curves and straight lines and you've got it.
   
   "Now, the work was a little different in those days from the way it is
   today. For instance, all we waddies knew was just to work, work, work,
   while the modern puncher has a chuck wagon follow him around with all
   the comforts that a ranch can afford. [?], high powered chuck, his
   high powered bed roll, and everything.
   
     NOTE: C12 - 2/11/41 - Texas
     
   00033If we waddies wanted to take anything with us, it could be no
   more than a little chuck in a saddle bag, a slicker and a bed roll
   back of the cantle, and maybe a rifle in a saddle scabbard.
   
   "We always had a Spring roundup to brand the calves and a Fall roundup
   to cut out the sale cattle. When we had a roundup, all the neighboring
   ranchers pitched in with us and we all went down South into Eastland
   county, where our cattle usually drifted. There were always around
   50-60 cow punchers in a roundup and we had a lot of fun together while
   going down. It was different coming back though, because we scattered
   out fan-wise, and combed the country clean. We didn't leave any cattle
   behind us either. They didn't have to belong to us to get into our
   roundups. We all did it, though.
   
   "A fellow by the name of JJ (Jack) Robinson, was always trail boss on
   the roundups. He'd ram rod the spread and make all the rules and
   divisions until the roundup was over. He was one more powerful good
   rider and he had a real cutting hoss. He run the OX brand over on the
   other side of Breckenridge from us. I don't recall anybody saying how
   many head he run but I guess it was about the same as the rest of us.
   
   "There were three fellows that ranched together but had different
   brands. One was Bill Hittson, and he was supposed to run about 1,000
   head with the HIT brand. Then, there was his brother that was rumored
   to run a few hundred, I don't recall how many, with a lazy A brand.
   You make it by laying the A down and making it point toward the
   shoulder. He burnt it on the critter's left hip. And John Millsap, his
   brother-in-law, who run the MIL brand. Now, I don't recall just how
   many head he did run but I wouldn't be atall surprised if the 1,000
   that Bill was rumored to run wasn't the total number of 00044their
   cattle. I recall one more ranch run by old Jim and Ike Fridge. They
   run about 600 cattle with the JJo brand. You make it by making two
   J's, then burn a small o right over the two J's.
   
   "Thesesroundups showed a fellow's mettle. If he had anything to him,
   he could make a good hand. The real asset to a cowpuncher though, is
   his hoss. If he can ride good, and he's got a good cutting hoss a
   cowpuncher is setting on top of the world because he don't have a
   thing to worry about, much. I had two hosses that I always used. One
   of them was a big hoss, the other a little one. I named the big one,
   'Big Dexter', and the little one, 'Little Dexter'. They was both real
   hosses that would make any cow hand a top hand. The little one was the
   best hoss because I could use him for a night riding hoss. He was
   safe, sure, and sensible. He knew might near as much as a man and I
   used to think he knew my brand. I sure hated to part with that hoss
   when we moved away from there but dad sold him so I couldn't help it.
   
   "One of the bad things that happened to us while we was there was a
   drouth. It came in the year of '76, and I'd see cattle going down the
   dry crick bed, licking the mud for a little moisture. The way we got
   water was to run some of them across the crick and keep somebody
   standing in one spot. That way, the cattle would stomp the other part
   down and force the water up in the spot they didn't stomp. Then we'd
   take a shovel and dig down a ways in the loose spot and water would
   well up. After about six or seven head had drunk, you'd have to dig
   again because they'd have the place filled up again. You couldn't pull
   that anywhere except where you had a sandy bed or in quick sand.
   00055"I [said?] there wasn't no rustling but there was a little done
   by what we called the 'Nesters'. They'd made a little settlement down
   in Eastland county and would take a beef whenever they wanted a little
   meat. They'd also milk our cows too but when we came through on a
   roundup, we rounded everything up so they couldn't hurt us 'til the
   cattle had time to drift back after we got through with them. Of
   course, we watched the cattle all the time in order to be ready in
   case some rustlers did spread a long loop.
   
   "We broke up in 1880, and dad sold out in order to bring all us kids
   back here to Fort Worth and send us to school. You see, at that time,
   the rail road ended here at Fort Worth. The only engines moving West
   of Fort Worth was the construction trains and I don't believe they was
   going any farther then Weatherford. It seemed like Fort Worth was
   where the West ended, or where the civilized world started. It seemed
   like Fort Worth was home to all the ranchers West of Fort Worth so
   when dad decided to settle down in some place where us kids could go
   to school, he comes to Fort Worth.
   
   "Well, I considered that the most foolish thing ever done. Just
   completely throw up a good living and a coming business to educate a
   bunch of kids. After we got here, I decided I wanted to be a doctor. I
   studied enough to get me a little business, then started out in Mason
   County in 1890. I turned out to be a saddle bags doctor. You know,
   carry all your stuff on a hoss and go from one ranch or farm to
   another. I was just as regular as the old circuit riding persons
   except when some contagious disease broke out.
   
   "I got to thinking maybe the grass grew a little greener out in the
   panhandle so I lit out for Channing and Hartley counties. I 00066made
   me a route out there the same as I did before but it was too far
   between customers so I came back to Parker county for awhile, then I
   came into Fort Worth and went into the drug store business.
   
   "I've run drug stores all over Fort Worth since I came back. The two
   biggest ones were on Allen Avenue and another one on East Front
   Street.
   
   I finally got too old to do much pill rolling so I retired and come
   out here to the Masonic Home. This is a mighty fine place for an old
   man to spend his last days.
   
   "Now, about being married, I've been married three times. I don't have
   any use for an old bachelor that's gone through life without helping
   take care of somebody. There happened to be 10 or 12 old bachelors
   together here the other day and I says, 'A man that never married or
   raised a family and took care of kids got no business being took care
   of in his old age. He oughta be done like we used to do an old stag,
   just drag him off into the head of an old holler and let him dry up'.
   Then I walked off and left them gaping. You know, when I'm not feeling
   my age so bad, I'm lots of fun. I'm all the time into some devilment
   like that.

************************************************************************
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. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives
to store the file permanently for free access.

http://www.usgwarchives.net/

Thanks to the Library of Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaintro/txcat.html
***********************************************************************