TX BIOS:  R. W. Smith
   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
   
   Miller
   
   Folklore Folkstuff - Rangelore
   
   Howard County
   
   District 18
   
   Mrs. J. O. Miller--P. W.
   
   Dist. 18. Wordage 1250
   
   241
   
   Page 1. S - 241 LIFE ON THE LONG S RANCH IN 1886
   
   As related by R. W. Smith, pioneer rancher 67 years of age.
   
   In a letter to Mrs. J. O. miller, Filed Worker.
   
   September 14, 1936.
   
   I began work on the Long S Ranch in 1886, August 15, just 50 years
   ago. Most of the country was open range, or at least it was from
   Sweetwater to El Paso. We scarcely slept in a house for three years.
   We branded about 15,000 cattle such year. About November 15, Mr. Gus
   O'Keefe, the manager of the ranch, paid off 20 men, one had worked 5
   years, another 7 years and one had been on the ranch for 15 years. As
   he called each man into his office and paid them off we waited for our
   call. When he called me into his office, of course I expected to get
   my time, but to my surprise, he said, "Do you want to work this
   winter?" Being so astonished, I calmly replied "Yes", but couldn't
   understand why he was offering me a job, a lad of 17 years, and only
   been on the ranch three months, when he was letting some of the old
   hands go. He said, "I"m going to keep four men and I want them to Camp
   on the Range and rope and brand calves wherever they find them." And
   that just suited me and the rest of the boys, putting it mildly, for
   we were thrilled over the work.
   
   We would stay 4 or 5 days in one place then move to another place. The
   three other pardn'rs have gone on the Last Roundup. They were [C.A.?]
   Goldsmith, Walker Burney and [??].
   
     NOTE: C12 - 2/11/41 - Texas
     
   Mr. Gus O'Keefe sent me with the 20 men he laid off to Big Spring in a
   wagon. When we got about half way to town, one of the men said:
   "[Leas?] kill that damn kid and turn those mules loose and let them go
   home." They had got some whiskey and was pretty drunk, and I was
   scared [??]. I got as close to the Indian Cook as possible, thinking
   he would help me if they decided to kill me. Well, I sure was glad to
   see town and unload that bunch 00022of locoed cowhands.
   
   In the fall of [1886?], we were camped between Snyder and Colorado
   City. One night we had several hundred head of cattle under [DEL: ]?]
   :DEL] herd: we had [DEL: c ught :DEL] caught, saddled and staked our
   horses for the night, so as to have them when it came our turn to
   stand guard. When about good dark one of the horses got tangled up in
   his rope and broke loose, and away it went with the saddle; the owner
   said, "Go, I hope the antelopes get you before morning." After a few
   minutes study, the young man said, "Pa, does antelopes eat horses?"
   
   In August of 1887, Mr. O'Keefe sent me to watch the western boundary
   of the range, which was the [?] side of the old C Ranch, owned by
   Nelson Morris of Chicago. I stayed 30 or 40 days riding line and while
   there I [?] for [?] [??] watch. I think the spring must have been
   three feet long from the time it took me to wind it, and you could
   hear it for ten steps. [?] the first night I was with the man, we went
   on camp drive. Now a camp drive is like this, each man ties his
   slicker on his saddle and puts two pieces of steak and two biscuits in
   the middle picket and leaves the wagon after an early supper, say 4 or
   5 o'clock. We ride out ten or fifteen miles, unsaddle, stake our
   horses, [?] slickers and saddle blankets for a bed and use saddle for
   a pillow. No one in the crowd has a watch and I didn't want them to
   know I had one, so I go off as far as I could to keep the boys from
   noticing anything in particular. After I lay down, my watch ticked so
   loud, I dug a hole in the ground and covered it with dirt. But when
   they quit talking, s short time, one of them said: "I hear a watch
   ticking." Another said, "So do I." Then the third said, "[??] do you
   have a watch?" Well I had to own up to being in possession of a watch.
   The next morning, they had to see the watch and examine how it was
   made, so after we tore it up to see inside of it, we could not put it
   back together, so that was the last of my $1.00 watch.
   
   After we had spent the night on our saddle blankets, we would [?] our
   horses, scatter out a mile a-part, drive cattle back to the wagon.
   Round them up, cut [?] head of cows and calves, brand the calves and
   turn them loose. 00033Some times we would cut some steers or fat cows
   from the herd to ship.
   
   When I used the word "cut" it means to separate the cows from the big
   herd, which usually is 1,000 to 4000 head. If we could get the cattle
   to the pin we would take them there, if not, we would have about four
   men to hold the bunch while one would rope and drag a cow to the fire
   and four men bull-dog it, tie it and brand it. One man is used to
   tally; this work uses about ten men.
   
   I will tell you how we [DEL: [?] :DEL] worked on the general work;
   that means men from different ranches for 50 to 200 miles north. One
   man from each ranch, I was sent on what we called the Colorado work in
   September 1897, there was 25 men with the wagon I worked with, which
   was [9R?] wagon. Billie [DEL: [?] :DEL] Kendricks was wagon boss. We
   would cut our cattle together, kept all the different brands in one
   herd. Every evening we would brand calves, one or [DEL: tow :DEL] two
   men would ride in the herd and catch a calf , drag it to the fire and
   call out the brand its mother was wearing, if a Long S, it would be
   called, if 9R that would be sung to the man and so on for all the
   brands were different. As the calves were branded, one man with a
   tally book would mark one beside that brand.
   
   We made our last Roundup that year at [??], east of Big Spring. Then
   each man cut the cattle, worked and took them back to the ranch they
   belonged to. Some times, two or three was going the same way, in that
   case they throw their cuts together and drive the herd to the
   respective ranches as far as possible. We had 250 head.
   
   At the last roundup, Tom Wilson of Big Lake and I cut our cattle
   together, he was working maybe south of Big Spring about 15 miles. As
   we drove the herd along the dusty covered road with tired eyes but
   with the song on our hearts, we leisurely sang: "Rye whiskey, Rye
   whiskey, O, give me Rye whiskey, or I'll die." However neither of us
   drank.
   
   I guess the next thing is a bear story. I never was much to tell
   stories but I used to tell lies, but I have quit that.
   
   Here, is a bear story. There had been several stories told when one of
   00044the boys spoke up and said. "That's nothing; about ten years ago
   I roped a bear and he turned, grabbed the rope, began to come toward
   me, and I saw he was pulling my horse toward him, so I jumped off the
   horse and he kept coming to the horse. When he got close enough to the
   horse he jumped in the saddle and lit out with my horse and saddle. I
   have never seen him [siche?] and that's been ten years ago."
   
   Several of the boys began to sing Rye Straw, for that was the song
   they sung when they did not believe anything.
   
   The men I worked with was modest men like Mr. J. W. Carpenter, a
   parde' of mine , and didn't tell many stores. If they did I have
   forgotten them, as I have been a Christain 39 years and don't think
   much along the old ways of life.

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